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As top diplomats from the US and Russia arrived in Saudi Arabia for a meeting on the years-long war in Ukraine, Moscow was dealt a severe blow in the battlefield. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence released a video in which it claimed that it has destroyed Russia's advance S-350 missile defence system.
The video, with undated footage from a drone, shows a convoy of Russian military vehicles crossing an agricultural stretch of land. The video then zooms in at what appears to be launch vehicles of the S-350 surface-to-air missile defence systems. In the very next moment they are destroyed in a precision air strike resulting in plumes of smoke and dust.
The drone footage was shared with the Ukranian defence ministry by the Black Forest Brigade - an elite artillery reconnaissance arm of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The location coordinates and actual date of the claimed offensive was not revealed.
Destruction of a russian S-350 Vitiaz SAM system worth $135 million.
📹: Black Forest Brigade pic.twitter.com/5xdoW3PJgW
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 17, 2025
According the a report in the Kyiv Post, the elite Black Forest Brigade issued a statement along with the video in which it said "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."
If found true, this will be a major achievement for the Ukrainian military and an even bigger embarrassment for Russia, which prides over its "virtually impenetrable" air defence systems like the S-300, S-350, and S-400.
RUSSIA'S ADVANCED S-350 AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM
The S-350 air defence system is said to be the latest generation of Russian medium-range surface-to-air missile defence system. It is reportedly intended to replace the outdated S-300PS and the Buk-M1-2 systems in the Russian military.
Each unit of the S-350 air defence system reportedly costs more than $130 million and were inducted into the Russian military as recently as 2020. Each unit comprises of a mobile launcher which holds 12 missiles, an advanced multi-functional radar system, and a command post.
With a medium range of 120 kilometers the system is capable of deterring any incoming aerial threats from cruise missile, tactical ballistic missiles, drones, UAVs, military aircraft such as fighter jets and helicopters. They also have inbuilt AI systems which allow it to operate without human intervention while automatically tracking, detecting, and destroying all incoming threats.
CONCERNS FOR CHINA AND INDIA
The S-350 and the S-400 surface-to-air defence systems are both upgraded versions of the S-300. It is important to note that both India and China have in recent years procured large number of S-400 air defence systems.
The S-350 Vityaz, though not as advanced as the S-400, is still considered a highly capable deterrent system. While the S-350 is a medium-range system, the S-400 is long-range. The missiles in the S-350 are from the same family as that of the S-400, with range being the principal differentiating factor.
If Ukraine's claim is indeed confirmed by Moscow, it will likely become a cause of concern for Beijing and New Delhi. So far, Russia has not responded to Ukraine's video.