Ukrainian mid-range drones destroyed six Russian air defence systems across occupied parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts over 2 days, Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) Robert Brovdi reported. The strikes targeted SAM launchers and radar installations “using mid-range strike assets at operational depth of occupied territories of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.”
Ukraine continues to degrade Russian air defences in occupied territories and adjacent Russian regions. The campaign aims to create “blind corridors” to exploit depleted defences for safer operations of Ukraine’s Air Force and more successful mid and long-range drone strikes. These deeper attacks systematically target Russian military assets, fuel facilities, and military-industrial complex sites.
Brovdi, known by his callsign “Madyar,” announced on 14 January that his forces destroyed a diverse set of Russian air defence assets over 48 hours in Russian-occupied territory.
He reported that in the occupied Donetsk Oblast, the SBS struck the following systems:
- Tor SAM system in the Mariupol district
- Vityaz 50N6E radar in Mariupol district
- Buk-M1 SAM system in Volnovakha district
In occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the drone forces struck these anti-air missile launchers:
- Buk SAM system in Polohy district
- Strela-10 SAM system in Polohy district
- Tor-M2 SAM system in Polohy district
The 412th Brigade Nemesis of Ukraine’s SBS delivered most of what Brovdi called “courtesy visits” between 12 and 14 January. The unit coordinated strikes through the newly created Deep Strike Center. Meanwhile, the 413th Regiment Raid separately destroyed the Strela-10 SAM system.
Brovdi noted the operational depth of strikes ranged from 46 to 160 km from the line of contact. The drones carried warheads weighing more than 10 kg.
“This leaves no chance of combat capability for those lightly armored but high-value assets of the occupation [force],” Brovdi wrote.
Other recent attacks on Russian air defense assets targeted the S-400 surface-to-air missile launchers in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast and the elements of the S-300 system in occupied Crimea, more S-300 launchers in occupied eastern Ukraine and the Valday and Nebo radars in Crimea.
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