As senior US and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia to talk about the war raging in Ukraine, Moscow was hit with a severe battlefield loss. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense shared a video announcing it had obliterated Russia’s advanced S-350 missile defense system in a pinpoint airstrike.
The unidentified drone video, released by Ukraine’s top Black Forest Brigade, is of a group of Russian military vehicles driving over an open area. The clip then zooms in on what seems to be S-350 surface-to-air missile system launch vehicles, seconds before they were hit in an aerial attack, filling them with smoke and rubble.
Though the place and time of the strike remained secret, Ukraine claims the successful strike to be a serious set-back to the air defense strength of Russia. The S-350 Vityaz, with an estimated unit price of $135 million, was brought into the military resources of Russia in 2020 as a newer version replacing old S-300 and Buk-M1-2 systems. Equipped with the latest radar technology, AI-guided tracking, and autonomous target identification, the S-350 Vityaz is capable of countering air threats in the form of missiles, drones, and fighter planes.
If true, the downing of the system would be an embarrassment for Russia, which promotes the S-300, S-350, and S-400 as top-notch defense shields. The production may also give China and India pause, both of which have purchased Russia’s more advanced S-400 systems in recent years.
Up to now, Moscow has not commented on Ukraine’s allegations. The attack highlights Ukraine’s ongoing strategic attacks on Russian military targets in the ongoing conflict.