Ukraine is still grappling with a severe shortage of air defence systems capable of bringing down ballistic missiles. Cruise missiles and Shahed one-way attack drones can be intercepted by most air defence systems or aircraft, but ballistic and hypersonic missiles are a different matter. Only two systems in Ukraine's arsenal – the Patriot and SAMP/T – can intercept them.
Ukraine fields only a limited number of these systems and has yet to develop an anti-ballistic missile capability of its own – a shortfall Russia is actively exploiting. Each week, Russian forces launch dozens of Iskander ballistic missiles, S-400 missiles and hypersonic Kinzhal and Zircon (also spelt Tsirkon) missiles.
It is only this year that Russia has begun actively deploying Zircon missiles, with around 40 launched since the start of 2026. Kinzhals have been in use for longer. Despite the increased use of Zircons, questions have been raised about their capabilities.
Ukrainska Pravda has looked into a study by OSINT analyst Fabian Hinz and spoken with Ukrainian military personnel and Pavel Luzin, a senior research fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and the Saratoga Foundation, to examine the origins of the Zircon missile and the threat it poses.