A Ukrainian drone and missile attack has destroyed a sophisticated Russian air defense complex in Crimea, as Kyiv warned those living on the occupied peninsula to expect more “surprises.”
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told Kyiv Post that an S-400 “Triumf” air-defense system, which has an estimated value of $1.2 billion, was taken out in the early hours of Thursday morning near the city of Yevpatoria.
The SBU source said: “The military counterintelligence of the SBU and the Navy of Ukraine conducted a unique special operation near Yevpatoria.”
He continued: “First, SBU drones hit the eyes of the complex — radars and antennas, and after disabling the radar stations, Navy units hit the S300/400 Triumf launch complexes with two Neptune cruise missiles.”
The source promised that: “New surprises await Russians in Crimea.”
Footage posted to social media showed a series of explosions in the area:
Crimea never sleeps.
— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) September 14, 2023
Crimean Telegram channels report explosions in temporarily occupied Yevpatoria last night. Allegedly, it was a drone attack. pic.twitter.com/o3KVv5yMtS
It’s not the first time Ukraine has destroyed an expensive Russian Triumf air defense system – last month a video released by Ukraine’s Directorate of Military Intelligence (HUR) showed a large explosion in Crimea which showed the destruction of a similar unit.
The size of the explosion strongly indicated that the installation itself, the missiles installed on it as well as the personnel manning it, were all destroyed.
Ukrainian Drones Strike Missile Arsenal in Russia’s Novgorod Region, Oil Depot in Samara Region
The S-400 is a fourth generation of long-range Russian surface-to-air missile capable of engaging aircraft, UAV, cruise missiles, and terminal ballistic missiles out to a range of 400 kilometers and an altitude of 60 kilometers.
This was a key component of Russia’s defense of the occupied peninsula.
It was reported in 2021 that only 25 of the systems were in-service with Russian forces, leading HUR to comment last month: “Given the limited number of such systems in service with the enemy, this is a ― painful blow to the air defense system of the invaders, which will have a serious impact on further events in the occupied Crimea.”
The location of this latest strike is fairly close to the infamous incident in July 2022, when a Russian tourist posted a photo of himself posing in his “speedos” with an S-400 Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) vehicle clearly visible in the background which geolocation quickly identified as near to Yevpatoria.
The unnamed Russian tourist and the S-400
Photo: X (formerly Twitter)
This led to a warning from the occupation authorities in Crimea for civilians not post images on social media that could identify the location of military facilities and equipment. It seems that a year later the weapons were in the same whereabouts.
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