Russia suspends cruise missile strikes on Ukraine as it replenishes stockpiles, says UK MoD

The Russian Airforce's Long Range Aviation fleet (LRA) of heavy bombers has not conducted air launched cruise missile strikes into Ukraine for over a month, one of the longest gaps in such strikes since the conflict began. This is stated in a statement by the UK Ministry of Defence.

While Russia is still able to utilise other strike capabilities, the LA had been the primary method for conducting stand-off precision strikes.

"Russia almost certainly needed to reduce the frequency of its strikes to replenish its diminishing stockpile of AS-23a KODIAK cruise missiles," the British noted.

Russia will likely use any recently produced inventory LA munitions to strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the winter. Russia will highly likely continue to supplement any such campaign with Iranian-designed one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicle attacks. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is preparing not only to defend itself against Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, but also to respond to possible attacks.