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# Ukraine Deploys New Ballistic Missile Under Relentless Russian Air Assault
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/ukraine-deploys-new-ballistic-missile-under-relentless-russian-air-assault/
- Published: 2026-10-02T04:44:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T04:44:39.000Z
- Description: Ukraine has used its domestically produced FP-7 ballistic missile in combat for the first time as Russia intensifies its aerial campaign. Faster Geran-5 drones, ballistic missiles and near-continuous raids are placing Ukraine’s air defences under growing pressure ahead of winter.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: Ukraine, Russian Federation, War, conflict, The Day So Far, Top Stories, geopolitics, Tech, has-audio

Ukraine has used its domestically produced FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, introducing a powerful new weapon as Russia hammers the country with ballistic missiles, jet-powered drones and near-continuous aerial attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the combat debut on October 1 and released footage showing the missile being launched from an undisclosed location. He did not identify the target, reveal where the strike occurred or provide evidence of the damage caused.

“First combat use. Thank you for the result. Next, production,” Zelensky said, indicating that Kyiv now intends to manufacture the weapon in greater numbers.

> Ukrainian tactical ballistic missile. FP-7\. First combat use. Thank you for the result. Next up: production. Glory to Ukraine! [pic.twitter.com/IxdjVg51c1](https://t.co/IxdjVg51c1?ref=theglobalvoice.com)
> 
> — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) [October 1, 2026](https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2105683936907047389?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theglobalvoice.com)

The FP-7 was developed by Ukrainian defence company Fire Point. [According to the manufacturer, the missile can carry a warhead weighing up to 200 kilograms and strike targets as far as 250 kilometres away](https://firepoint.technology/en/ballistic-missile-fp-7/?ref=theglobalvoice.com). Earlier specifications released publicly placed its range at approximately 200 kilometres and its payload at 150 kilograms.

That would allow Ukraine to attack command posts, airfields, ammunition depots, bridges and missile-launch positions well behind the front line. Because ballistic missiles travel at high speed along steep trajectories, they are substantially more difficult to intercept than conventional drones.

The scale of production will determine whether the FP-7 becomes a serious battlefield factor or remains a limited capability. Russia possesses a far larger missile industry and has repeatedly launched [Iskander ](https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/ss-26-2/?ref=theglobalvoice.com)ballistic missiles alongside cruise missiles and massed drone formations.

Ukraine’s decision to announce the weapon now comes as the Russian aerial campaign enters an increasingly dangerous phase. Moscow has begun deploying the [Geran-5](https://drone-warfare.com/research/geran-5/?ref=theglobalvoice.com), a jet-powered attack drone that flies considerably faster and higher than earlier propeller-driven Shahed-type weapons. Its speed and operating altitude place it beyond the reach of many mobile air-defence teams equipped with machine guns and portable missiles.

Ukraine says it is intercepting only about 57 per cent of the newer jet-powered drones, compared with more than 90 per cent of conventional Shahed-type aircraft. Ukrainian fighter jets and expensive surface-to-air missiles are increasingly being used against weapons designed to overwhelm and exhaust the country’s defences.

Kyiv recorded more than 235 air-raid alerts between August 27 and September 29, amounting to 261 hours under warning. Ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones have struck the capital during both daytime and overnight attacks, leaving residents facing sirens, explosions and repeated journeys into shelters.

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Drones hit the Southern Bridge across the Dnipro River and disrupted transport services. Days earlier, an attack on the National Academy of Sciences formed part of a nationwide barrage that killed at least 10 people and injured more than 80.

Russia maintains that its strikes are directed at military facilities, defence industries, energy infrastructure and sites supporting Ukrainian combat operations. The expanding use of faster drones nevertheless increases the danger to cities because weapons that evade interception may fall in densely populated areas.

The FP-7 gives Ukraine a new retaliatory option, but it does not solve its immediate air-defence crisis. Kyiv remains short of Patriot interceptors capable of destroying incoming ballistic missiles, while Russia can combine drones, decoys and several categories of missile in the same attack.

The missile escalation is being accompanied by a wider Russian military build-up. Moscow has announced an autumn conscription of about 120,000 men, while its new year-round system allows recruitment authorities to process eligible citizens continuously. President Vladimir Putin has also expanded the authorised strength of the armed forces to 1.55 million active personnel. Ukrainian officials claim Russia may seek to mobilise [as many as 300,000 additional troops](https://www.theglobalvoice.com/brace-for-escalation-the-war-is-about-to-get-bigger-macron-warns/), although Moscow denies that another mass call-up has been ordered and says ordinary conscripts will not be sent into Ukraine. With Russia enlarging its army, North Korea reportedly preparing another 10,000 soldiers for deployment and winter attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure already intensifying, the conflict appears set to enter a more dangerous phase. The coming weeks could bring heavier ground fighting alongside an expanding missile and drone campaign.