Ukraine’s drone brigade wipes out $300M worth of Russian air defenses in a week

Ukraine continues systematic destruction of Russian air defenses, focusing on radars and missile launchers along key frontlines. Over one week, Ukrainian drone operators struck high-value targets across three oblasts, dealing heavy material losses, according to the Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) or the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Drone forces report a week of Nemesis' attacks

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said operators of the 412th Separate Nemesis Brigade struck 10 Russian air defense assets over the past week. SBS shared footage of the strikes and reported on 20 January 2026 that the targets included both radar stations and surface-to-air missile launchers.

SBS reported that the destroyed equipment included two radar stations and eight missile launchers used by Russian forces. Among the radars were the P-18-2 Prima and a radar from the S-350 Vityaz system, which SBS described as a key element of Russian air defense.

According to SBS, this marked the second S-350 radar destroyed by Nemesis operators in January. SBS estimated the cost of a full S-350 system at about $130M.

The list of destroyed launchers included three Tor-M2 systems, three Buk systems of the Buk-M3 and Buk-M1 variants, one Tunguska system, and one Strela-10 system.

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Strikes across three oblasts

SBS said Ukrainian drones hit Russian air defense assets in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Most of the strikes were carried out by pilots from the Asgard battalion, which operates within the Nemesis brigade.

According to SBS estimates, the total value of the destroyed Russian equipment exceeded $300M.

Additionally, the Nemesis unit reported the destruction of the 9A84 SAM launcher, part of Russia's S-300V long-range anti-air system: