The video of the "Sapsan" rocket launch in the president's greeting resembles the Hyunmoo-2A, according to an analyst.

In the New Year’s greeting from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, instead of a video showcasing the launch of a missile from the "Sapsan" operational-tactical missile system, footage of the South Korean ballistic missile Hyunmoo-2A was used. This was reported by Vladimir Pozdnyakov, the Chief Operating Officer at BlueTit Systems.

"And you know, at that moment, I felt ashamed as a citizen that since the 1990s, the state has overlooked such individuals among us. I am proud when throughout the year, meeting with them, I hear: they are happy to be needed by Ukraine. And that Ukraine is again building its own, its own missiles. For the first time, it is producing over a million drones in a year. It forces the enemy to learn Ukrainian. 'Palyanytsya', 'Peklo', 'Ruta'. It makes them tremble at the words 'Neptune' and 'Sapsan'. All of this — our missiles. Ukrainian. 'Hor', 'Vampir', 'Kolibri', 'KAMIK', 'Lyutyi', Heavy Shot, Fire Point. All of this — our drones. Ukrainian. And all of this — our arguments, arguments for a just world," — Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his New Year address.

Vladimir Pozdnyakov pointed out that in the video, during the remarks of President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the Ukrainian operational-tactical missile system "Sapsan," footage of the launch of the South Korean ballistic missile Hyunmoo-2A was inserted.

"The South Korean ballistic missile Hyunmoo-2A is somewhat of a copy of the Russian missile 'Iskander'. It is based on the NHK-2 missile, which in turn was derived from the American surface-to-air missile MIM-14 Nike Hercules," — he added.

At the same time, the military portal Defense Express describes the theory of the Hyunmoo-2's origin from the Russian OTRK 'Iskander' as conspiratorial due to visual similarities.

"However, there are other sources that claim this South Korean ballistic missile originates from the Israeli LORA, and the visual resemblance to 'Iskander' is dictated by functionality, not by the source of technology borrowing," — it is noted there.

OTRK "Sapsan": What We Know

Let us recall that the Ukrainian operational-tactical missile system "Sapsan," also known as "Grom 2," is a development that has been ongoing since 2009. The General Director of "Ukroboronprom," Herman Smetanin, referred to this development as top secret, but noted that people are working and motivated.

The "Sapsan" project, which the Ukrainian defense industry began developing back in the early 2000s, was announced at that time. The OTRK "Sapsan" was intended to strike at a maximum range of up to 500 km and have a warhead weighing nearly 500 kg. The project was planned to be completed in 2012, but the timeline was pushed back due to a lack of funding.

However, by 2016, it became known about the revival of the "Sapsan" project under the name "Grom-2." In August 2024, military expert and head of the "Come Back Alive" foundation Taras Chmut stated that Ukraine is currently developing three modifications of "Sapsan".