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Why Russian Iskander Launchers Are Nearly Impossible to Catch
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Air defense forces faced a severe overnight ballistic strike on Kyiv on August 5, when Russian forces launched nearly three dozen missiles that Ukrainian air defenses were unable to intercept due to a shortage of interceptors for the Patriot system.
Meanwhile, locating and destroying Russian Iskander launchers remains a major challenge because Russian forces operate them 140 to 150 kilometers away from the front line to avoid the range of Ukrainian HIMARS systems, often traveling along forest roads for up to 5 hours to remain hidden from satellite tracking, citing Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, an advisor to the President of Ukraine.
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Beskrestnov explained that these operational tactics make tracking the launchers on the move or at firing sites extremely hard.
"Deployment of the 'Iskander' happens very quickly. Then launch. 'Iskander' fires and then flees from the position," he explained. "Catching an 'Iskander' on the march or near the position where it deploys is difficult," Beskrestnov noted.
Disrupting the manufacturing of these weapons is similarly difficult. Beskrestnov stated that production takes place deep underground, making factories hard to target, while international sanctions have proven ineffective.
"This is produced deep underground and it is not so very easy to attack production. And also, unfortunately, sanctions also do not work very well there, because 'Iskander' is probably the only product that is produced 100% from Russian resources and Russian electronics," he said.
In the first half of 2026, Ukraine received three times fewer air defense missiles than during the same period in 2025, despite partner nations having interceptors available, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on August 5.
His statement followed a heavy Russian ballistic missile strike that Ukrainian air defenses were unable to repel due to a critical shortage of interceptors for systems like the Patriot.
Speaking after a meeting with military leadership and defense officials, Zelenskyy emphasized that deliveries of anti-ballistic capabilities had dropped significantly throughout the entire six-month period, noting that securing further supplies depended on political decisions and accelerated manufacturing from allied governments.
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