Video Shows Drones Destroying Russian $130 Million Missile System in Donetsk

A video published on social media by Ukraine’s Operational Strategic Group Khortytsia, also known as Joint Forces Group and Eastern Group of Troops, shows a drone attack carried out by the Chornyi Lis (Black Forest) artillery reconnaissance brigade.

The video shows a drone striking a Russian 50P6E S-350 “Vityaz” air defense system, one of Moscow’s most modern air defense assets, somewhere in the Donetsk region.

The Group’s statement says:

“Thanks to the skillful actions of the reconnaissance men of the Chornyi Lis (Black Forest) Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade, we have managed to detect and destroy Russia’s latest short- and medium-range S-350 Vityaz anti-aircraft missile system.”

The S-350 (NATO: SA-X-28) is said to be a latest generation Russian medium-range air defense missile system intended to replace both the outdated S-300PS and Buk-M1-2 systems.

It first entered service in 2020 at an estimated cost of more than $130 million. It is claimed to be capable of taking on aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and tactical ballistic missiles out to ranges of 120 kilometers (75 miles).

Russian sources, quoted by military analyst Samuel Bendett on X, claim the latest iteration of the S-350m has been AI enhanced making it able to “perform fully automated detection, tracking and destruction of several Ukrainian aircraft and UAVs without operator participation.”

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The Chornyi Lis video shows the moment of impact on the Russian system and the subsequent fire and explosion that destroys the air defense system. While Kyiv Post has not independently verified the report, the source is considered to be reliable.

This is said to be the second destruction of an S-350 this month. A video posted on the Spy Dossier Telegram channel on Feb. 6 showed the damaged chassis of an S-350 after striking an anti-tank landmine. The incident reportedly occurred after the vehicle was negotiating a Russian minefield at night in an occupied part of the Luhansk region.

Although none of the crew was reportedly injured and none of the missiles onboard the vehicle had been damaged, it is claimed the system has been “abandoned” because it is considered too risky to try to recover it from the minefield.