Russia struck Kyiv on May 24 with a rare 9M729 missile from the Iskander-M1 system
Kyiv • UNN
During the attack on Kyiv on May 24, debris from a rare 9M729 missile was discovered. The use of such weapons may indicate a shortage of conventional missiles for the Iskander system.
During a massive attack on Kyiv on the night of May 24, Russian forces likely used a rare 9M729 cruise missile from the Iskander-M1 system. This was reported by Defense Express after analyzing missile debris found on the grounds of a school in the capital, UNN reports.
Details
The released footage shows the "9M729" marking. This missile is a ground-based version of the "Kalibr" cruise missile with a flight range of 1,500 to 2,600 km. It was because of this missile that Russia was previously accused of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Due to its larger dimensions, the 9M729 cannot be launched from a standard Iskander-K; therefore, a separate 9P701 launcher was created for it as part of the Iskander-M1 system.
Why the choice of this specific missile seems strange
As Defense Express notes, the 9M729 missile is quite rare in the Russian arsenal. As of the end of 2025, only 23 instances of its use had been recorded throughout the entire full-scale war. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia had a stockpile of approximately 50 such missiles at that time.
Analysts point out that using the long-range 9M729 for a strike on Kyiv seems illogical. For an attack on the capital, the Russian Federation could have used more common 9M728 missiles with a range of up to 500 km, whereas the 9M729 is more appropriately used for strikes on the western regions of Ukraine.
Defense Express suggests that this may indicate a shortage of standard missiles for the Iskander-K, although there is currently no official confirmation of this.
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