The Telegraph: Russia Has Revived Putin's 'zombie Missiles'
- 22.01.2026, 9:22
For what purpose?
In an air attack on Jan. 20, Russian Federation launched an RM-48U training missile for the first time and it took Ukraine by surprise.
The missiles were decommissioned but have been reintroduced as offensive weapons, writes The Telegraph. "Ukraine has no choice but to repel the revived 'zombie missiles' using expensive defensive technology, which is probably a new Russian tactic to deplete Ukraine's resources," the publication wrote.
What is the RM-48U
The RM-48U, used as a target for training firings from the S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, is a modification of conventional 5B55 or 48N6 missiles that have reached the end of their service life.
They are easy to adapt and add weight to Russian bombardments.
The 5V55 and 48N6 missiles can carry a payload of 133 to 180 kilograms. It is not yet clear whether the missile that broke through the Ukrainian air defense system carried a warhead or was used as a decoy.
"The RM-48U supersonic target missiles are based on decommissioned or retired anti-aircraft guided missiles. They use all the old stuff that is lying in warehouses," an unnamed military expert told RosSMI.
"Now surface-to-surface missiles are produced on their basis by adding a warhead. This could be the warhead from standard 5B55 and 48N6DM missiles or a modernized fragmentation-fuzed version," the Russian military expert said.
The publication noted that since these missiles were designed for completely different purposes, they probably lack accuracy. But they increase the volume of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities, forcing Kiev to spend scarce and expensive resources on defense.
"Russia has long used interceptor missiles, that is, anti-aircraft missiles designed to intercept approaching aircraft or missiles, as offensive weapons," said Mauro Gilli, a professor of military strategy and technology at the Hertie School.
"If fired on a parabolic trajectory, it will do some damage on impact," even though the missiles are not used for their intended purpose, he added.
Although Gilli cautioned against viewing the use of the RM-48U as a sign of Russia's missile shortage. He said it "indicates that Russia is using everything at its disposal to strike Ukraine."
"These missiles no longer have any use because they are decommissioned.... So the cost of using them is very low," Gill added.
The main purpose of using these missiles is to increase their mass, "which means that the Ukrainian air defense system will not be able to intercept everything."