Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) wiped out over $131 million in Russian air defenses in a single week, SBS reported. The targets spanned multiple classes of Russian air-defense hardware across occupied territory and Russian border areas. The strikes continue a months-long Ukrainian campaign that has been stripping Russia of these systems several times a week.
The week's targets
The SBS struck the Buk-M3 and Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile systems over the past seven days. Targets also included the Kasta radar and the Tunguska anti-aircraft gun and missile system, the unit's command wrote on Telegram.
"The total value of damaged enemy equipment for these targets alone exceeds $131 million. This is systemic exhaustion of enemy capabilities, where every precise strike reduces its combat potential and limits warfighting capabilities," the SBS command said.
Ukraine's General Staff released footage of the strikes on Telegram.
- On 7 May, SBS operators struck two Buk-M3 systems in Donetsk Oblast and a Strela-10 SAM.
- On 8 May, Ukrainian strike drones hit a Tor-M2 in temporarily occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. They also struck a Tunguska in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, per Army Inform.
The strikes spanned the days around Russia's three-day "Victory Day" ceasefire, which just reduced combat activity.
The air-defense attrition pattern
The latest $131 million week extends a sustained Ukrainian campaign that has been chewing through Russian air defenses for months.
The 412th Nemesis Brigade alone destroyed an estimated $300 million in Russian air defenses in a single January week.
In March, SBS units took out 26 Russian air-defense elements at operational depth, SBS commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi reported. One Buk-M3 was struck 50 km inside Russia's Bryansk Oblast.
In the first two weeks of April, the SBS put 12 Russian air-defense systems out of action. By late April, another seven-day cycle brought the tally to over $205 million in destroyed equipment. The latest losses then included a $60 million early-warning radar burned in Belgorod Oblast.
