Operators from Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces have reportedly destroyed russian short-range air defense system in Donetsk region, targeting a mobile 9K33 Osa surface-to-air missile system. The strike was carried out by drone pilots of the Nemesis 412th Brigade as part of ongoing efforts to degrade russian battlefield air defenses.
According to the report, the Osa system was being used to shield russian units and critical military assets from Ukrainian aircraft, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
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Its neutralization represents not just the loss of a single launcher, but the removal of a protective node within russia's layered air defense network in the east of Ukraine.
Osa system, introduced during the Soviet era, remains one of the most widely deployed short-range air defense systems in russian service.
Mounted on a wheeled amphibious chassis, it carries six ready-to-fire missiles and is designed to engage aerial targets at ranges of up to 10 kilometers and altitudes of up to 5 kilometers. Its mobility allows it to accompany maneuver units and provide frontline air cover.
In the context of the war in Ukraine, such systems have played a key role in contesting airspace near the front line. Short-range assets like the Osa system are particularly important for defending against low-flying aircraft and increasingly against small drones. Their presence complicates Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance and strike operations.
As Defense Express previously reported, operators of the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, in coordination with the Deep Strike Center, have struck high-priority russian air defense systems worth an estimated over $120 million in less than a week.
The operation targeted key components of russia's layered air defense network on two critical axes of the front.
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