Russia Extends Iskander Missile Range as Large Strike on Ukraine Reportedly Nears
Russia has begun modernizing its Iskander-M ballistic missiles toward a reported 1,500 km range after already using a 1,000 km version, while around 50 Kh-101 cruise missiles and 35 ballistic missiles are reportedly prepared for a major strike on Ukraine within 48 hours.
Russia is expanding the reach of its Iskander-M ballistic missiles and is reportedly preparing a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine, raising the threat to Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
According to available reporting, Russia has begun a large-scale modernization of Iskander-M missiles aimed at extending their range to 1,500 km. Russia has already started using Iskander-1000 missiles with ranges of up to 1,000 km and reportedly has around 20 of these in stock.
Experimental launches of the 1,500 km version are planned from October–November, with potential use against western Ukraine. If testing is successful, Russia reportedly plans to move to serial production of this longer-range version.
Separately, another assessment says Russia has completed preparations for a large-scale missile strike on Ukraine involving strategic aviation, judged as most likely within the next 48 hours. Around 50 Kh-101 cruise missiles and 35 ballistic missiles — Iskander-M, KN-23 and Zircon — are reportedly ready. KN-23 missiles were delivered to an airfield in Russia’s Voronezh region. Kyiv and surrounding areas are seen as among the most likely targets.
Longer-range Iskander variants would allow Russia to strike deeper into Ukraine, including western regions, from launch positions further inside its own territory. For Ukrainian civilians, this would mean a wider area at risk and less time to respond to air-raid warnings. For Ukraine’s air defenses, already stretched across front lines and major cities, it would add pressure from a more distant and varied missile arsenal.
In the near term, the main indicators to watch are whether the reported large missile attack occurs at the described scale, which types of missiles are used, how Ukraine’s defenses cope, and whether there are observable test launches of the 1,500 km Iskander variant from October onward.
Sources
- OSINT