Former Ukrainian Defense Engineer Is The Father of Russian Missile Guidance System

A former Ukrainian defense engineer has been identified as the key figure behind Russia’s missile guidance system, according to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).

Oleh Borsuk, a 61-year-old native of Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast, allegedly played a central role in the development and production of satellite navigation systems now used in some of Russia’s most widely deployed missiles.

The SBU said Borsuk fled Ukraine in 2009 after resigning from a defense facility. He later surfaced in Moscow as the deputy general director of “Navis,” a company integral to Russia’s military-industrial complex.

According to the agency, Borsuk oversaw the modernization of guidance units utilizing GPS and GLONASS systems — critical components for Russian missiles such as the Iskander, Kh-101, Kh-59, and Kalibr. These weapons have been used in numerous attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion.

In 2023 alone, under Borsuk’s leadership, Navis produced nearly 3,200 satellite navigation units, the SBU said.

Some of these systems were allegedly used in high-casualty airstrikes on Ukraine. On July 8, 2024, a Kh-101 missile struck Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, killing two adults, including a doctor, and injuring more than 50 people, most of them children.

Another deadly incident occurred on June 17, when a wave of Russian missiles and drones hit Ukraine’s capital. A Kh-101 missile struck a nine-story residential building, killing 30 people and injuring 172 others. Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat confirmed the weapon involved was a Kh-101.

The SBU has formally charged Borsuk in absentia under Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code — treason committed under martial law.

“Since the perpetrator is hiding in the territory of the Russian Federation, comprehensive measures are underway to bring him to justice for crimes against our state,” the SBU said in a statement.