Ukrainian forces have reportedly destroyed a rare Russian radar associated with the country’s newest S-500 “Prometey” air and missile defense system, according to the defense outlet Militarnyi.
The report, citing the open-source intelligence community CyberBoroshno, said this was revealed in video footage released by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) showing drone strikes by the special forces unit “Prymary” against radar installations on the occupied peninsula.
“Yesterday’s video from the GUR drew our attention to the destruction of a 96L6 radar from the S-400 system—except it wasn’t a 96L6,” CyberBoroshno analysts wrote. “We analyzed the visual features of the target and can say that this is the latest 98L6 ‘Yenisei’ radar, which is the standard radar for the S-500 ‘Prometey’ system.”
State trials for the 98L6 “Yenisei” were conducted between 2020 and 2021, and open-source data indicate it was officially accepted into service in April 2021.
Russian sources claim the 96L6E “Yenisei” radar is equipped with a multi-element active phased array antenna (PESA) with a high level of jamming resistance. It can detect and track aerodynamic and ballistic targets at ranges of up to 600 kilometers and altitudes up to 100 kilometers. Target data is then relayed to the command post for use by other air defense components.
Visually, the “Yenisei” resembles the Russian 96L6E radar. Both are mounted on a four-axle MZKT chassis and feature similar layouts, with a fully rotatable antenna unit and equipment container on the vehicle’s platform. However, the two systems differ in antenna design—on the 96L6E, the main antenna panel is split into two sections of different sizes.
The “Yenisei” can operate not only in a 360-degree surveillance mode but also in a narrow-sector mode, improving its ability to detect ballistic targets. It is the standard radar for the S-500 “Prometey,” Russia’s most advanced air and missile defense system.
The finding comes after Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) released footage showing drone strikes on Russian radar installations on the peninsula by its special operations “Prymary” unit.
CyberBoroshno noted that in Crimea, the radar has also been deployed alongside the S-400 system. Analysts have been working to determine the exact strike coordinates to establish which air defense complex the radar was operating with at the time of its destruction.
If confirmed, the loss of the “Yenisei” radar would represent one of the first documented battlefield losses of a component tied to the S-500 system—a platform intended to intercept advanced ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and other high-speed aerial threats.
Ukraine’s kamikaze drone strikes also destroyed two Su-30SM, one patrol boat and two S-500 missile launchers.
Ukraine’s forces have shown they can find and hit even heavily guarded assets, and each successful strike emboldens further operations. The destruction of the Yenisei shows that no part of Russia’s high-end air defense network is beyond reach.
© 2025, GDC. © GDC and www.globaldefensecorp.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to www.globaldefensecorp.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
