Russia Has Just 120 Iskander Ballistic Missiles Left, Ukraine Says

Ukrainian intelligence has said Russia only has 120 of its modern missiles left in its arsenal, in a new report.

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, released a report on Monday about the ongoing conflict.

The report said Russia has used an estimated 80 percent of its modern missiles and now only has 120 Iskander missiles left.

Representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitsky, stated this in a comment to The Economist according to the report.

Following this, Skibitskyi said Ukraine had obtained information to suggest Russia will be turning to Iran to help its alleged supply issues.

The Kremlin intends to buy Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar ballistic missiles from Iran to use in the conflict, according to Skibitsky.

He added that these missiles would be sent to Russia by air to Crimea and by sea to Russian ports on the Caspian Sea.

"We know that the agreements have already been reached," he said.

The Economist report also noted that Skibitsky has acknowledged that Ukraine currently has no effective protection against Iran's missiles or against the similar Iskander missiles Russia has already used.

Skibitsky said the Russians launched 25 Iskanders in October. Ukraine was able to intercept only three. The country is equally defenseless against the hypersonic Kinzhal missiles Russia has mounted onto some of its warplanes.

Iran last month denied supplying Russia with military equipment in its fight against Ukraine.

In a statement issued by the country's foreign ministry on October 15, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian "emphasized that the Islamic republic of Iran has not and will not provide any weapon to be used in the war in Ukraine."

This came after the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the country's air force had destroyed six Iranian-made Shahed-136 so-called 'Kamikaze' drones.

Marina Miron, a research fellow from the Defense Studies Department at King's College London (KCL) has previously spoken to Newsweek and explained how Iran's alleged involvement could shift things in the conflict.

She said the benefits of the Fateh-110 were that "apart from being comparatively cheap, is the ability to camouflage and to launch them from anywhere.

"So when in winter mobility becomes reduced, Russia will have more options to launch Iranian missiles without being detected and possibly targeted by the likes of HIMARs," she told Newsweek.

"That would give Russia some sort of parity and ability to replenish its stocks, use the cheaper Iranian missiles to overwhelm Ukraine's air defense systems and make sure that they can go through with targeting most military targets and critical civilian infrastructure."

Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.