Norwegian defense company Kongsberg’s production facilities involved in manufacturing Rusty Dagger missiles should be considered legitimate military targets following their use by Ukrainian forces against Russian territory, according to Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).

Stepanov’s comments followed a November 10 announcement by the Russian Defense Ministry, which reported that Russian air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed four Rusty Dagger missiles launched by Ukrainian forces.

The analyst argued that Kongsberg’s manufacturing sites in Norway had become legitimate targets following the reported use of the missiles against Russian facilities.

According to Stepanov, factories involved in producing such weapons should be regarded as part of NATO countries' military and technical infrastructure, which he considers a potential threat to Russia.

The expert went further, calling for the destruction of these production facilities. He maintained that the list of potential targets should not be limited to individual Kongsberg plants but should extend to Norway’s entire defense industry.

His remarks come after Vladimir Zelensky announced in October 2026 that Ukraine was cooperating with the Norwegian company Kongsberg.

According to Zelensky, the partnership involves the development of three joint projects focused on air defense systems.