A video by the Chornyi Lis artillery reconnaissance brigade was posted on social media showing a strike on a rare russian S-350 air defense system. Apparently, this episode took place in the summer or early fall of last year, as indicated by the green color of the leaves and grass in the footage.
This strike was perceived as the first destruction of russian S-350 system. Its stated value is estimated at $135 million. However, it should be noted that this was not the enemy's first loss of this type of SAM system.
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It is worth recalling that in December 2023, the warriors of the National Guard of Ukraine destroyed the launcher of the latest S-350 air defense system for the first time with an FPV drone. In February 2024, russian S-350 system appeared in a story about how russians lost a launcher from an air defense system for the first time in history due to a mine explosion.
It can be said that the latest loss of russian S-350 system, as recorded in the video above, is at least the third since the start of russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
According to The Military Balance 2024, at the beginning of last year, the russian army could have only six S-350 launchers. Against this background, it is surprising that russians use such a rare complex in the frontline zone.
Moreover, based on publicly available data, the use of the S-350 to cover the Taganrog airfield was recorded in 2022, as well as in June 2023, russians deployed a rare S-350 to ensure putin's safety at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Against this background, it may be surprising that russians have started to use such a rare system in the frontline zone. At first glance, there is a simple explanation for this: russians have a problem with a lack of air defense equipment.
However, it is quite possible that the situation is far more complicated: the deployment of russian S-350 Vityaz systems in the frontline zone is due to russians creating a sort of anti-aircraft missile "curtain" to counter Ukrainian aviation and long-range UAVs. However, the effectiveness of this "curtain" has been of variable success for the occupiers.
It is known that the S-350 air defense system can simultaneously fire at up to eight targets, with a range of up to 60 kilometers for aerodynamic targets and a range of up to 30 kilometers for ballistic targets. The division includes 12 launchers, with each carrying 12 anti-aircraft missiles.
Earlier Defense Express reported that Ukrainian artillery had destroyed russian IFV with precision strike at 10 km range in the Lyman direction.
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