Russia may be stockpiling part of its missile arsenal for strikes on Ukraine during the coming winter, according to Sergey Rakhmanin, a member of the Verkhovna Rada’s defense committee.

Rakhmanin said Russia could produce and procure a combined total of around 100 missiles per month. His estimate includes Iskander missiles, North Korean KN-23 missiles, as well as missiles for the S-300 and S-400 systems.

The Ukrainian lawmaker pointed to a recent decline in the number of ballistic missile strikes as a possible indication that Russia is holding back part of its available arsenal for future use.

Rakhmanin believes ballistic missiles will pose one of the main threats to Ukraine during the winter. Even if Kiev manages to build up sufficient stocks of PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot systems or obtains other anti-ballistic capabilities, he said they would not be enough to fully neutralize the threat.

According to Rakhmanin, Ukraine is unlikely to be able to intercept every incoming ballistic missile and will probably be unable to shoot down even the majority of them.

As a result, Ukrainian authorities will have to prioritize which facilities receive the strongest air and missile defenses. Rakhmanin said protecting every important site would be impossible even with a full stock of PAC-3 interceptors or additional anti-ballistic systems, making the selection of priority facilities crucial ahead of winter.