Attaining Critical Mass: Russia’s Missile Campaign Against Ukraine

A central feature of Russia’s missile campaign against Ukraine is the large number of missiles that it fired. Dinshaw Mistry and Omer E Ozkan show that the factors enabling Moscow to field this large force were a substantial pre-war inventory, wartime production and the use of many types of missiles. Key operational aspects of Moscow’s missile campaign – adjustments in the monthly rate of missile launches, the firing of missiles in large salvos and the use of drones alongside missiles – enabled it to sustain a large volume of missile strikes for the duration of the war.