Ukraine destroys Russian Buk air defenses in flurry of strikes, military says, shows footage

Ukrainian drones struck two Buk air defense systems in Russia's Bryansk Oblast on March 22, amid a broader wave of strikes on additional air defense and military targets, the Ukrainian military said.

A Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system and a transporter-loader vehicle of a Buk-M2 system were destroyed, said Robert Brovdi, known as "Madyar," commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.

The commander shared a video purportedly showing footage of the drone attack. The Buk systems were struck by drone operators from the 413th Raid Unmanned Systems Regiment, Brovdi noted.

Operators from the 1st Separate Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces also destroyed a radar of the advanced S-400 Triumf air defense system in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, according to the commander.

The Unmanned Systems Forces have already destroyed 26 elements of Russian air defense systems in March, according to Brovdi. In total, the military branch's drone units wiped out or hit 7,073 Russian personnel and 25,612 military assets.

The General Staff also reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system near the settlement of Pervoye Maya in Bryansk Oblast on March 21, confirming a direct hit.

Another Buk-M2 system was reportedly struck in the occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Ukrainian forces also reportedly hit a logistics hub and a Russian troop concentration near occupied Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast, as well as a command post near Uspenivka and a drone control point near Rivnopillia.

Additional strikes targeted troop concentrations near Berdiansk and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and another Russian command post near Smorodino in Russia's Belgorod Oblast.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

The Buk-M3 is one of Russia's key air defense systems, designed to engage targets in the air, on land, and at sea. Manufactured by Almaz-Antey, it can reportedly track and engage up to 36 targets simultaneously, including aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones.

The Buk gained worldwide infamy in 2014 when Russian proxy forces used it to down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine.

The estimated cost of a Buk-M2 system is around $25 million, while a Buk-M3 costs about $45 million, making their destruction a significant financial loss for Russian forces.

Ukraine has reported destroying Buk systems in previous strikes. In October, Ukrainian forces said they destroyed a Buk-M3 at an unspecified location. In September, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported striking a Buk-M3 in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

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The Kyiv IndependentPolina Moroziuk