Ukraine’s 19th Missile Brigade continues to deploy refurbished Soviet-era Tochka-U ballistic missiles against Russian forces, despite a shrinking supply of these aging munitions, according to Forbes. War correspondent David Axe reports that Ukraine inherited around 500 Tochka-U missiles following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, by early 2022—when Russia escalated its invasion—only about 90 remained in the Ukrainian arsenal.
The dwindling availability of these missiles is unsurprising, Axe explains, as the Tochka-U, a two-ton, single-stage ballistic missile with a 70-mile range, relies on solid-fuel technology that degrades over time.
“Solid rocket fuels have a finite lifespan,” he notes, emphasizing the challenges associated with maintaining and refurbishing decades-old weapons.
Despite these obstacles, recent photos and videos from January and March 2025 confirm that the 19th Missile Brigade, which also operates U.S.-supplied HIMARS launchers, has resumed Tochka-U missile operations using what appear to be refurbished units.
Restoring Soviet-Era Missiles
The Conflict Intelligence Team, a pro-Ukraine analytical group, suggests that Ukrainian forces have managed to restore missiles previously believed to be irreparable. This likely involved the intricate and hazardous process of disassembling, refueling, and reassembling these decades-old munitions—a process fraught with risks due to the explosive and toxic nature of the materials involved.
This is at least the second documented case of the 19th Missile Brigade using refurbished Tochka-U missiles. After exhausting its pre-war stockpile in early 2023, the brigade remained largely inactive for about six months before resuming operations in November 2023. Since then, the brigade has targeted Russian positions in Belgorod Oblast (western Russia) and Donetsk Oblast (eastern Ukraine).
Axe attributes the successful refurbishment of these missiles to Ukraine’s robust rocket industry.
“Ukraine has long possessed one of the largest and most advanced rocket industries in Europe,” he states.
The Role of Yuzhmash
A major contributor to this industry is the Yuzhmash facility in Dnipro, southern Ukraine, which has historically produced both military and space rockets. Despite repeated Russian airstrikes, including a devastating April 2023 attack that allegedly “destroyed” a Tochka-U workshop and another strike in November using an experimental Oreshnik missile, Yuzhmash has continued its operations.
“The Tochka-U is not an overly complex missile,” Axe points out. “If Yuzhmash can manufacture heavy engines for space launches, it’s well within their capability to refurbish the much simpler Tochka-U.”
However, the refurbishment process appears to be slow, limiting the brigade’s ability to deploy these missiles consistently. Axe describes their usage as “sporadic,” yet the refurbished Tochka-Us remain a potent asset in Ukraine’s ongoing military campaign against Russian forces.
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