Russia is planning to mobilize between 500,000 and 600,000 soldiers for the planned new front in Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast.

Meanwhile, a record 113,000 Russians reportedly fled to Georgia in a single week amid concerns over the potential new mobilization.

As the author of the “Iskander-1000” designation, the MilitaryRussia project felt the need to comment on the information released by Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR/HUR) about its alleged first use against targets in Ukraine.

The claim is based on the discovery of missile remnants bearing the 9M723-2 designation.

Here’s the important part:

1. 9M723-2 and 9M723-2F3 are NOT the “Iskander-1000” with an extended range.

This comes down to how Soviet/Russian missile designations work.

The 9M723 designation refers to the missile/rocket section, while the warhead has its own designation. Different warheads can be fitted to the same missile section. For example, the 9M723K5 consists of the 9M723 missile section fitted with the 9N722K5 warhead.

Information available from 2011 mentioned two missile-section variants: 9M723 and 9M723-1. A new version, provisionally designated 9M723-2, appeared in 2024.

MilitaryRussia initially used the 9M723-2 designation in 2024 to identify what it called the “Iskander-1000”, a proposed extended-range version of the Iskander. They now consider that identification to have been incorrect.

Based on the available information, the more likely breakdown is:

• 9M723 — an earlier missile section with a clearly visible cable channel along the body.

• 9M723-1 — a more conventional design, with six decoys located in the rear section.

• 9M723-2 — a newer design without the six decoys, but with additional antenna modules associated with the satellite-navigation system.

2. What about the reported 800 km launch?

On December 18, 2025, Ukrainian media reported a missile launch to a range of around 800 km. MilitaryRussia believes this may have been a test launch of the actual “Iskander-1000” using the standard Iskander launcher.

3. So what exactly is the 9M723-2?

At this point, there are two main possibilities.

It could be a simplified and lighter version of the 9M723-1 of the 9K720 “Iskander-M” system. Also, it could be a newer version designed to provide better accuracy and greater resistance to electronic warfare.

For now, this is still speculation. The secrecy surrounding new Russian missile developments, combined with the lack of clear photographic evidence from the crash sites, means there is not enough information to draw firm conclusions.

A Ukrainian drone strike hit a target in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, with the resulting explosion appearing consistent with a munition detonation.

Ukrainian sources claim the target was either an S-400 launcher or an Iskander-M system.

An Israeli Air Force (IAF) airstrike targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon.

Ukrainian Telegram channels are reporting shortages of goods in supermarkets across Kyiv.

It turned out to be an S-300 SAM system that self-destructed.

France is ready to export its Missile de Croisière Naval (MdCN), or Naval Cruise Missile, to Sweden.

The move comes ahead of a new France-Sweden defence partnership and a €4.3 billion deal for four FDI (Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention) frigates for the Swedish Navy.

The export would mark the MdCN’s first deployment outside France. Often considered Europe’s equivalent to the Tomahawk, the missile has a reported range of around 1,400 km and has been operated exclusively by the French Navy for nearly a decade.