Ukraine hit Russia's most treasured air-defense system on its own soil, reports say

Sophia Ankel
Updated ·2 min read
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Ukraine hit Russia's most treasured air-defense system on its own soil, reports say

  • Ukraine struck one of Russia's most treasured air-defense systems on Wednesday, reports said.

  • Drones hit an S-400 Triumph near Belgorod, Russia, an intelligence source told the Kyiv Post.

  • It would be the first time Ukrainian forces have hit an S-400 system in Russia's territory.

Reports indicate Ukraine damaged one of Russia's most treasured air-defense systems in a drone attack.

Using strike drones, the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, damaged a Russian S-400 Triumph antiaircraft system on Wednesday, the Kyiv Post reported, citing an intelligence source.

The SBU source didn't elaborate on the extent of damage done, though Reuters reported the system's radar was affected.

The attack occurred at night in mainland Russia, near the southwestern city of Belgorod, Ukrinform and Reuters reported.

While Ukraine has previously destroyed a similar system in occupied Crimea, this would be the first time it has struck an S-400 system in mainland Russia.

Russia's Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday it had downed 31 drones launched over the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk. It didn't, however, say whether an S-400 system was damaged.

A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

The reports come after Ukraine said another such system was destroyed September 14 in Yevpatoriya, a coastal city in the west of occupied Crimea that Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

The destruction was the result of a joint operation by the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy.

Russia's S-400 mobile long-range surface-to-air system includes truck-mounted radars, a mobile command post, and multiple missile-launch platforms. It's designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles at long ranges and high altitudes.

Both the BBC and Bloomberg cited Ukrainian sources suggesting the destroyed system in Crimea was worth as much as $1.2 billion, but other estimates are closer to $500 million.

The SBU source told the Kyiv Post that given this was the second S-400 struck by Ukraine in the last month, "[we] advise the Russians to think about a new name for this complex," a dig at its "triumph" moniker.

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