Ukraine’s half-month air defense blitz: 27 Russian anti-air assets destroyed, including S-400s, Pantsirs, radars, and EW stations

Ukraine's Defense Forces struck over 20 Russian air defense targets in the first half of March, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense reported on 18 March. The strikes targeted surface-to-air missile systems, radar stations, and electronic warfare assets across occupied Ukrainian territory and Krasnodar Krai in Russia proper. Each destroyed asset punches a new hole in the air defense screen that protects Russian rear bases from Ukrainian missiles.

SAM systems knocked out across the front and deep rear

Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the following surface-to-air missile system strikes between 1 and 15 March:

• Pantsir-S1 (Yakymivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Novoozerne, occupied Crimea) — protects against low-altitude aerial threats
• Tor (Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast, and Balashivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast) — an all-weather short-range system for protecting maneuvering ground forces
• Tor-M1 (Korobkyne, Luhansk Oblast) — upgraded variant built to counter precision-guided munitions, capable of engaging two targets simultaneously
• S-300 launcher (near Strilkove, Kherson Oblast) — component of Russia's primary medium- to long-range air defense system
• Buk-M3 and Buk-M1 (Lymanchuk, Luhansk Oblast, and Bahativka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast) — mobile systems designed to engage maneuvering aerodynamic targets
• S-300V launcher (Borovenky, Luhansk Oblast) — specialized for missile defense
• S-400 Triumf launcher (Dalne, occupied Crimea) — Russia's most advanced long-range air defense system in service

Destroying or degrading these systems reduces Russia's ability to intercept Ukrainian missiles and exposes rear bases to Ukrainian strikes, the ministry noted.

Radar network hit from Donetsk Oblast to Novorossiysk

Ukraine also struck the following radar systems during the same period, the Ministry detailed:

• S-300 and S-400 guidance radars (Mangush, Sadove, and Chervone, Donetsk Oblast; Novokrasnivka, Luhansk Oblast; Sevastopol, occupied Crimea; Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia) — the targeting eyes without which SAM systems cannot engage threats
• Podlet-1K (Vynohradne, occupied Crimea) — detects aerial targets at low and very low altitudes
• Kasta-2E2 (Liubyme, Luhansk Oblast, and occupied Crimea) — all-round surveillance radar for detecting low-observable targets
• Yastreb-AV (Topoli, Luhansk Oblast) — described by the ministry as the most advanced artillery reconnaissance system in Russia's armed forces
• Sopka-2 (occupied Crimea) — airspace surveillance system
• Nebo-U (Hvardiiske, occupied Crimea) — enables long-range detection of aircraft and missiles
• Protivnik and Parol (Libknekhitivka, occupied Crimea) — mobile stations providing target designation for aviation
• Valdai (Prymorske, occupied Crimea) — specialized radar for detecting and countering small UAVs

Without functioning radars, Russia's air defense loses the ability to detect and respond to incoming threats in time, the Ministry noted.

Electronic warfare and communications assets degraded

Ukraine also struck three electronic warfare and communications assets during the period, the Ministry reported:

• Ground relay station (Chornomorske, occupied Crimea) — coordinated control for Russian strike UAVs
• Communications tower (Prymorsk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast) — critical coordination node for Russian units
• EW station (near Donetsk) — jammed GPS signals to disrupt Ukrainian drone navigation

Destroying these assets degrades Russian coordination and frees up the radio spectrum for Ukrainian strike UAVs and precision munitions.

The Ministry also recalled that during January and February 2026, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck three major Russian defense industry enterprises, one key missile test range, and two large arsenals.