--- title: "Ignat: A significant portion of Russian ballistic missiles fails to reach their targets, which is why the AFU does not release full figures" description: "Yuriy Ignat explained that the Air Force does not publish full data on Russian ballistic missile launches because many missiles fail to reach their targets, and it reports only on intercepts. In one month, Russia deployed over 2,800 jet-powered drones." date: 2026-09-01T15:26:03.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ignat-majority-of-russian-ballistic-missiles-miss-targets-afu-does-not-release-full-figures tags: [ukraine-air-forces, ballistic-missiles, air-defense, russia-ukraine-war, yuri-ignat, reactive-drones] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Ignat: A significant portion of Russian ballistic missiles fails to reach their targets, which is why the AFU does not release full figures ![Ignat in Ukrainian Armed Forces uniform against military hardware: statement on Russian ballistic missile misses](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/01/ignat-znachitelnaya-chast-rossiyskoy-balistiki-ne-dostigaet-tseley/ignat-znachitelnaya-chast-rossiyskoy-balistiki-ne-dostigaet-tseley-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Ignat explained that the AFU does not disclose full figures on Russian ballistic missile launches because a significant portion of the missiles fails to reach their targets. - The Air Force publicly reports only on the effectiveness of air defense operations — on the missiles shot down and suppressed. - Russia quintupled its use of jet-powered drones in July–August: over 2,800 UAVs in the last month. - On the night of September 1, air defense forces shot down or suppressed 12 missiles, including “Iskander-M,” KN-23, S-400, and “Zircon.” Yuriy Ignat, head of the communications department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, explained on a telethon why the official Air Force statistics do not include detailed data on the number of ballistic missiles launched by Russia. In his words, the reason is that a significant portion of these missiles simply fails to reach their intended targets. This is precisely why, Ignat emphasized, information on the number of launches will be released in a “measured” manner, and the Air Force publicly reports only on the effectiveness of air defense operations — that is, on the missiles shot down and suppressed. ### Why the Air Force does not disclose figures on ballistic missiles Ignat directly linked the reporting methodology to the combat effectiveness of the enemy: “A large number of missiles do not reach their targets. Therefore, in fact, information will continue to be released in a measured manner regarding the number of missiles launched.” As a result, the Air Force Command deliberately does not publish the full list of ballistic missile launches, limiting itself to data on the missiles destroyed. In the same vein, Ignat previously urged the media not to stoke tension with reports about “unshot” ballistic missiles, so as not to create a false impression of air defense failures. ### Air defense effectiveness and the shortage of interceptors Commenting on specific intercepts, Ignat acknowledged that the result “is not as good as we would like,” citing a shortage of interceptors — primarily missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. At the same time, he noted that virtually all cruise missiles, including the “Kalibr” and “Bandehali,” were shot down. In his words, in addition to “Iskander-M”-type missiles, the enemy is capable of employing other types of weapons, however a significant share of launches does not result in target hits. ### Growing use of jet-powered drones Ignat placed a separate emphasis on the dynamics of the unmanned threat. According to his data, Russia quintupled its use of jet-powered drones in July–August: over 2,800 jet-powered UAVs were deployed against Ukraine in the last month. During individual attacks, jet-powered drones, in his words, account for up to two-thirds of the total number of drones used, which significantly increases the load on the air defense system and requires a redistribution of interceptors. ### Attack on the night of September 1 On the night of September 1, Russia struck Ukraine with “Iskander-M,” KN-23, and S-400 ballistic missiles, as well as “Zircon” anti-ship missiles — the launches, according to available data, were carried out from the territories of Bryansk, Kursk, Voronezh, and Rostov regions. Air defense forces, according to reports, shot down or suppressed 12 missiles. This episode illustrates the mixed nature of the attacks, in which ballistic, cruise, and anti-ship missiles are combined with the massive use of jet-powered drones. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Most of Russia's ballistic missiles miss their targets, - Ignat](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/bilshist-rosiyskoyi-balistiki-potraplyae-1788275583.html) - Подтверждает заявление Игната о том, что значительная часть российской баллистики не достигает целей, и о «дозированной» подаче информации о пусках. - [Ignat explained why air defense does not report on all Russian ballistic missiles](https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/4908076-yhnat-obiasnyl-pochemu-pvo-ne-soobschaet-obo-vsei-rossyiskoi-ballystyke) - Согласуется с тезисом о методологии отчётности ПВО и отказе от публикации полных цифр пусков. - [“Doing Skabeeva's job for her”: Ignat asked the media not to write about “unshot” ballistic missiles](https://www.unian.net/society/voenno-vozdushnye-sily-ignat-poprosil-smi-ne-nagnetat-obstanovku-soobshcheniyami-o-ne-sbitoy-ballisticheskoy-rakete-13465860.html) - Подтверждает призыв Игната к СМИ не нагнетать обстановку сообщениями о «не сбитой» баллистике, что согласуется с общей логикой заявления. - [Where does Russia's ballistic missiles “disappear” to: Ignat explained why the AFU is silent on the figures](https://tsn.ua/ru/ukrayina/kuda-ischezaet-rossiyskaya-ballistika-ignat-obyasnil-pochemu-vsu-molchat-o-tsifrah-3160154.html) - Подтверждает объяснение Игната о молчании ВСУ относительно полных цифр по баллистике из-за недолётов ракет. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Why does the Air Force not report the number of ballistic missiles launched by Russia? **A:** According to Yuriy Ignat, a significant portion of these missiles fails to reach their targets, so information on the number of launches is released in a “measured” manner, and public reporting covers only the effectiveness of air defense operations — the missiles shot down and suppressed. ### Q: How many jet-powered drones did Russia deploy in the last month? **A:** According to Ignat, over 2,800 jet-powered UAVs were deployed against Ukraine in the last month, and the use of such drones grew fivefold in July–August. ### Q: What did air defense forces shoot down on the night of September 1? **A:** Air defense forces shot down or suppressed 12 missiles, including the ballistic “Iskander-M,” KN-23, S-400, as well as the anti-ship “Zircon.” ### Q: Which cruise missiles were shot down, according to Ignat? **A:** Ignat noted that virtually all cruise missiles were shot down, including the “Kalibr” and “Bandehali.”