19:20 20-11-2025

Ukraine Depletes Tochka-U Arsenal After Heavy Use

Western experts report Ukraine has depleted its Tochka-U missiles after intensive early-war use, replacing standard warheads and halting the system’s combat employment.

According to assessments by Western military experts, as of January 2022 the Ukrainian Armed Forces had around 90 Tochka-U tactical missile launchers and roughly 500 missiles in stock.

At the outset of the special military operation, these missiles were among Ukraine’s primary strike systems for engaging ground targets. They were used extensively against Russian positions at ranges stretching from several dozen kilometers to well beyond the 100-kilometer mark. This pace of launches, however, quickly drained the available ammunition.

Ukrainian observers noted that warehouses still contained missiles lacking warheads, which forced the use of explosive charges taken from aerial bombs. Publications on the issue reported that necessary tests were carried out in a short time and serial production of updated missiles was launched to compensate for the shortage.

The exact number of missiles fitted with the improvised payload remains undisclosed, but it is clear that all standard warheads had been used up. No replacement missile type was developed to succeed the Soviet-era Tochka system, leaving the launchers without a functional stock of munitions.

As the reports emphasized, Tochka missiles are no longer being used in combat.

Western sources add that the most recent footage of a Tochka launch — specifically the older 9K79 variant — appeared in May 2024, following a long break in the system’s operational use.