Russia's deadly missile upgrade a 'game-changer'

Russia appears to have upgraded its ballistic missiles in use against Ukraine to bypass US-made Patriot air defence systems, according to a report.

- TAZ ALI

The upgrades likely involve Russia's Iskander-M and Kinzhal missiles, which have ranges of up to 500km and 480km respectively. These missiles follow a standard flight path before suddenly diving steeply, making interception by Patriot systems difficult, Ukrainian and Western officials told the Financial Times.

One former Ukrainian official described it as a “game-changer for Russia”.

Ukraine’s missile interception rate has dropped sharply in recent months, from 37 per cent in August to just 6 per cent in September, the FT reported, citing Ukrainian Air Force data.

Russia targeted at least four drone manufacturing sites near Kyiv earlier this year, causing major damage, according to the officials.