Russian Cruise Missile Stocks Almost Run Out

According to the military analyst:

Analysis of recently shot down cruise missiles show production dates as late as November 2022 and one as recently as January 2023. This suggests that production is now maxed out and that pre-war stockpiles have been exhausted.

It also explains the lengthy gaps between use , the most recent was as long as 55 days.

Even with the need to build then use the missiles their effectiveness is deteriorating at an alarming rate from a Russian perspective. Growing detection capabilities, improving air defences and an increasingly erratic strategy in their use, has lead to shoot-down rates of 85%+. The cost of the missiles at that rate and the damage they do is a rapidly dwindling return on investment.

The latest round of strikes seem to be aimed at aid warehouses, food manufacturing, food distribution and supermarkets. If there was ever a terrorist type campaign this is it.

I don’t know anyone in military circles who understands what the Russians are really trying to achieve in terms of military objectives to win the war.

The cruise missiles inspired the supply of air defence missiles, now the cruise missiles are being used, to use up the air defence missiles they caused to be deployed? It’s the most ludicrous chicken and egg strategy imaginable.

Nothing the Russians are doing with these missiles is contributing in the slightest to military success. What they do hit causes local issues and demonstrates to Ukrainians - even in the once pro-Russia, Russian speaking cities like Odessa and Kharkiv, that their deaths are perfectly acceptable to Putin and their lives meaningless.

So what does it achieve for Russia?

I can only assume (and I don’t like making assumptions, they’re usually dangerous and delusional), that it’s about making Russians feel they have a means of reaching anywhere in Ukraine and they can’t be attacked in return. It’s simply a means of saying ‘we can get you anytime we like’. It’s a superiority factor that even if Ukraine had it they would never use it against civilians. They would use it against the military though, and it’s support infrastructure, oil, fuel depots, airfields and command & control nodes. Roll on the day StormShadow makes its first appearance!