Ukrainian media has published satellite images confirming the Russian S-400 air defense system’s defeat near occupied Yevpatoria, Crimea.
These images were first posted on Radio Svoboda (Radio Liberty in English) Telegram channel.
“Here you can compare what the positions of the S-400 air defense systems looked like near Yevpatoria before and after the Ukrainian strike,” the post read.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and the Ukrainian Navy carried out the ‘unique special operation destroyed a Russian S-400 ‘Triumf’ on September 14, 2023, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) report.
Ukrainian forces used drones to attack the radar and antennas of the S-400 system before destroying the launchers with two Neptune cruise missiles.
The Russian S-400 is a long-range surface-to-air missile system capable of targeting aircraft, drones, and ballistic missiles. It can engage multiple targets simultaneously within a range of up to 400 kilometers and is considered to be Russia’s most advanced long-range defense system.
This is the second such system damaged by Ukrainian forces in Russian-occupied Crimea in three weeks, with the previous strike being carried out on August 23, 2023.
The ISW claims that the successful Ukrainian attacks may indicate “systemic tactical failures” within Russia’s defense network in Crimea.
Since 2016, the Russian Air Force has deployed five S-400 systems, each worth more than $600 million, to occupied Crimea.