Ukrainian ballistic missiles could reach Moscow as early as this summer: according to Fire Point

2 April 06:57

Ukraine’s missile program has once again come under the spotlight following new statements by representatives of Fire Point. Chief designer and co-founder of the company, Denis Shteilerman, said in an interview with Dmitry Gordon that the FP-9 ballistic missile, with a range of up to 850 kilometers, could be ready as early as mid-2026. According to him, such a weapon is potentially capable of reaching Moscow, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"

The statement caused a wide stir not only because of the strike range but also due to other parameters mentioned. Shteilerman claims that Fire Point is currently working on two ballistic missiles simultaneously—the FP-7 and the FP-9.

According to him, the FP-7 is already capable of traveling up to 300 kilometers with a warhead weighing up to 250 kilograms, while the FP-9 is expected to have a range of up to 850 kilometers and a warhead weighing up to 800 kilograms, depending on the distance.

What exactly Fire Point stated

According to Denis Shterman, in the FP-9 project, “everything is ready except for the engine,” and the developers expect to have the missile itself ready by the middle of this year.

He also said that Ukraine has allegedly already mastered nearly the entire production cycle for ballistic missiles, and the design uses only one foreign component, while everything else is manufactured in Ukraine.

Stilerman also commented on a hypothetical scenario of a missile strike involving 20 Ukrainian ballistic missiles on Moscow, stating that the outcome could be unpredictable: some of the missiles might be intercepted, but there is also a possibility that a significant number of them would reach their targets.

“I think at least a quarter, and possibly none, will be intercepted. Things are in a very dire state there. And they’re learning as they go during the war. They haven’t had any intercepts in ballistic missiles yet. They’ve never done this before. They have nothing to learn from,” noted the co-founder of Fire Point.

He also stated that Russian “Pantsir” air defense systems have demonstrated vulnerabilities in previous conflicts, particularly in Syria and during hostilities in the Caucasus region, and expressed skepticism regarding their effectiveness.

“These ‘Pantsirs’—they’re just useless pieces of metal out there,” added Stilerman.

What is known about the FP-7

The FP-7 project has already moved beyond the purely conceptual stage. On February 27, 2026, a video of the first launch of this Ukrainian ballistic missile was publicly released. Defense Express reported that the video captured the launch and the first stage of flight, and the missile itself was previously claimed to have a range of up to 200 kilometers, a 150-kilogram warhead, a speed of up to 1,500 m/s, and an accuracy of about 14 meters.

Analysts also noted another point: Fire Point appears to have deliberately opted for a simplified design and launch system to expedite testing and potential deployment in wartime.

The Ukrainian missile will be launched from the same launcher as the “Flamingo.”

“Everything must be as simple as possible, as cheap as possible, and as inconspicuous as possible,” he noted.

What is known about the FP-9

The FP-9 is the larger missile in the Fire Point lineup, previously described as a system with a range of about 855 kilometers and a warhead weighing up to 800 kilograms. It is this missile that Stilerman now refers to as a potential missile capable of reaching Moscow.

The designer believes the missile could be ready by mid-2026, though there have been no public reports of its tests being completed yet.

“Right now, everything is ready for the ‘nine,’ except for the engine. The engine is currently burned out; we’ll see,” he added.

The chief designer of Fire Point noted that Ukraine, despite having enterprises like Yuzhmash, had not developed its own ballistic missiles for so long because “there was no need.”