Ukraine's drone experts warn Russia's new Filin missile will make jet Shaheds look like a 'small problem'

Partly 3D-printed cruise missile carries a 100-kilogram warhead at close to 500 mph, Ukraine's GUR says

By LineZotpaper

Published23 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

Russia is preparing to shift its air war against Ukraine toward cheap, partly 3D-printed cruise missiles, and the new weapon could make the jet-powered Shahed drones Kyiv has faced so far look like a "small problem," two of Ukraine's most prominent drone experts warned this week after military intelligence unveiled details of the missile, named the Filin.

Two of Ukraine's most prominent drone experts have warned that Russia's next phase of the air war will move beyond jet-powered Shahed drones toward an arsenal of cheap cruise missiles, led by a partly 3D-printed weapon unveiled this week by Ukraine's military intelligence agency, the GUR.

Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov and Serhii Sternenko, both former drone advisers to Ukraine's defence ministry, wrote on their Telegram channels that the Filin, an 11-foot (3.4-metre) winged missile, could overshadow the threat posed by the Shahed.

"The mass use of this type of aerial attack weapon is what awaits us very soon," wrote Sternenko, who runs a foundation that crowdfunds for Ukraine's military. "Then we will remember the jet Shaheds only as a small problem compared to this."

The GUR released detailed findings on the Filin on Wednesday, saying Russia began deploying it at the end of summer 2026. The ground-launched missile carries a 100-kilogram warhead and, according to Russian claims cited by the agency, can fly at almost 500 mph (805 km/h) over a range of 745 miles (1,200 km), compared with a top speed of 370 mph for the Geran-5, the most advanced jet-powered drone Russia has deployed so far. The GUR said the Filin can fly at "ultra-low altitudes" and as high as 3.7 miles.

Beskrestnov, a drone analyst, said he had "long predicted that our adversary is betting on cheap cruise missiles for the future, not on jet Shaheds." He wrote that the Filin flies faster, manoeuvres better and carries a heavier payload than Russia's current turbojet drones. "They do not need drone ports, many of them can be launched from helicopters and UAVs. And most importantly, they can be produced from Russian components," he added.

The GUR said the missile's fuselage is made of carbon and fibreglass, with some parts produced by 3D printing, and that its engine is Russian-made, unlike the Chinese engines used on many of Moscow's turbojet drones. The agency listed 35 components sourced from the US, 22 from China, and 13 from Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan and the Netherlands, spread across the missile's flight controller, inertial navigation system, equipment control unit and counter-jamming hardware.

The Filin follows another low-cost weapon, the Banderol, which emerged in spring 2025 and has strained Ukraine's air defences in recent months. The Banderol reaches a maximum speed of 435 mph and is estimated to cost about $150,000 per unit, roughly one-sixteenth the price of a traditional Kh-101 cruise missile, making it easier to mass-produce. Ukrainian officials have described the frequent use of such weapons as "missile spam" aimed at exhausting air defences.

"What is the Air Force command doing now to build up countermeasures in advance?" Sternenko wrote.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Russia appears to be industrialising a new class of cheap cruise missiles built from commercial parts and 3D printing, which could sustain the high-volume "missile spam" strikes that exhaust Ukraine's air defences.
The Filin is faster, heavier and more manoeuvrable than the jet Shaheds, so a shift to mass use would make interception harder and raise the cost of defence.
The list of foreign components inside the missile, including US and Chinese parts, renews questions about export controls and sanctions on Russia's defence supply chain.

Background

For much of the war, Russia has used waves of Shahed drones, later fitted with jet engines, to probe and pressure Ukrainian air defences. More recently it has introduced a family of low-cost cruise missiles built around commercial engines and electronics. The Banderol, which appeared in spring 2025, is the leading example: cheap and difficult to intercept at scale. Ukrainian officials describe the approach as "missile spam," forcing Kyiv to spend expensive interceptors against inexpensive weapons. The Filin appears to be the next step in that trend, pairing a Russian-made engine with an airframe produced partly by 3D printing.

Key Perspectives

Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR): Presents the Filin as the continuation of the trend toward inexpensive jet-propelled, ground-launched weapons, and highlights the foreign electronics inside it, a detail with sanctions implications. Ukrainian drone experts: Both say mass deployment is coming soon and that the Filin will outclass the jet Shaheds in speed, payload and launch flexibility. Sternenko is publicly pressing Ukraine's air force to prepare countermeasures in advance. Russia (as described by Ukrainian sources): Portrayed by the GUR and the experts as betting on cheap, mass-producible cruise missiles. The Russian-made engine suggests Moscow is trying to reduce reliance on imported propulsion, even while much of the missile's electronics remain foreign.

What to Watch

Whether the Filin appears in large-scale strikes in the coming weeks, as the experts predict.
The response of Ukraine's air force command to Sternenko's call for advance countermeasures.
Any sanctions or export-control action over the American, Chinese and other components identified by the GUR.

Sources

Russia's new type of 3D printed missile will make jet Shaheds look like a 'small problem,' Ukraine's drone gurus warn · All Content from Business Insider
Ukrainian military intelligence reveals new Russian cruise missile 'Filin' · Kyiv Independent

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 7 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedThe Filin will make jet-powered Shaheds look like a “small problem.”All Content from Business Insider: “The threat could be so major, turbojet Shaheds would seem like a small problem, one drone guru said.”
Partly supportedThe partly 3D-printed Filin carries a 100-kilogram warhead at close to 500 mph, as GUR says.Kyiv Independent: “The missile is 3.5 meters long with a wingspan of 3 meters, ablte to carry either 50 kilogram or 100 kilogram warheads, HUR said. It can fly both at ultra-low altitudes and up to 6 kilometers (about 3.7 miles) high, at a top speed of 800 kilometers per hour (about 497 miles per hour)”
Partly supportedRussia is preparing to shift its air war toward cheap, partly 3D-printed cruise missiles.All Content from Business Insider: “Russia looks to be moving toward 3D printed cruise missiles for its next era of air attacks on Ukraine.”
SupportedSternenko wrote that mass use of this kind of weapon was coming soon and that jet Shaheds would then seem like a small problem by comparison.All Content from Business Insider: ““The mass use of this type of aerial attack weapon is what awaits us very soon,” wrote Sternenko, who runs a major foundation that crowdfunds for Ukraine's military, in a Telegram post. “Then we will remember the jet Shaheds only as a small problem compared to this,” he added.”
SupportedThe two experts are among Ukraine’s most prominent drone experts and are both former advisers to its defence ministry.All Content from Business Insider: “two of Ukraine's most prominent drone experts warned on Thursday. Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov and Serhii Sternenko ... both former drone advisors to Ukraine's defense ministry.”
Reports differGUR released its Filin findings on Wednesday.Kyiv Independent: “Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced details of a new Russian cruise missile called “Filin” and released a 3-D model of the missile alongside a list of components and electronics on its website on Oct. 22.”
SupportedRussia began deploying the Filin at the end of summer 2026.All Content from Business Insider: “On Wednesday, Ukraine's military intelligence agency, GUR, released extensive details on the Filin, which it said Russia had begun deploying at the end of summer 2026.”
SupportedThe Filin can fly at almost 500 mph over 745 miles and reach an altitude of 3.7 miles; the Geran-5 tops out at 370 mph.All Content from Business Insider: “Russia has said that it can fly at speeds of almost 500 mph at a range of 745 miles. By comparison, the Kremlin's most advanced jet-powered drone deployed so far, the Geran-5, is known to fly at a maximum speed of 370 mph. The Filin can also fly at “ultra-low altitudes” and as high as 3.7 miles, GUR said.”
SupportedBeskrestnov said he had long predicted Russia would bet on cheap cruise missiles rather than jet Shaheds.All Content from Business Insider: “Beskrestnov, a drone analyst, said he had “long predicted that our adversary is betting on cheap cruise missiles for the future, not on jet Shaheds.””
SupportedGUR says the missile has a Russian-made engine and lists 35 US components, 22 Chinese components and 13 from Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan and the Netherlands.All Content from Business Insider: “The agency listed 35 components from the US, including transistors and converters; 22 from China; and 13 more from Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the Netherlands. Notably, GUR said the Filin's engine is Russian-made”
SupportedThe Banderol reaches 435 mph and is estimated to cost about $150,000, roughly one-sixteenth the price of a Kh-101.All Content from Business Insider: “it still reaches a max speed of 435 mph ... Its estimated price is $150,000 per unit — about a sixteenth the cost of a traditional Kh-101 cruise missile”
Partly supportedUkrainian officials have described the frequent use of such weapons as “missile spam” aimed at exhausting air defences.All Content from Business Insider: “The frequent use of weapons like the Banderol over the summer has led to fears that Russia will lean into its tactic, often nicknamed “missile spam,” to keep pushing Ukrainian air defenses.”