Ukrainian Strike Blinds S-400 Air Defences in Crimea By Taking Out Key Radars

A recent Ukrainian strike has targeted Russian S-400 long range air defence systems guarding the Crimean Peninsula, with footage released by the Main Directorate of Intelligence based in Kiev showing the destruction of two 92N2E multi-functional fire control radars, two 91N6E long range surveillance radars, and one surface-to-air missile battery. “These radars are the ‘eyes’ of the enemy’s air defence system,” the directorate announced, adding that “without them, the anti-aircraft systems are rendered inoperable.” “Operations targeting air defence radars will continue,” it added, emphasising that the strike was part of a wider strategy to destroy Russia’s detection and engagement systems in disputed territories. S-400 systems have been heavily concentrated in Crimea since the late 2010s, with the disputed peninsula being claimed by both Moscow and Kiev, while countries across the Western world have supported the Ukrainian claim. The Ukrainian government has repeatedly struck both military and civilian targets on the peninsula since the outbreak of full scale hostilities between the two countries in February 2022.

In November 2024 the Ukrainian Armed Forces were approved by Washington to begin strikes into internationally recognised Russian territory using U.S.-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles, and on November 23 destroyed two launchers from an S-400 system in the Russian Kursk region. Two months later a successful strike neutralised an 92N6 detection radar near the frontlines near the city of Belgorod in Kursk. Russia’s limited investments in tactical combat aviation have led to a particularly high reliance on ground-based air defence systems to counter NATO air power, which has made the destruction of S-400s which form the backbone of its air defence network particularly detrimental to the country’s security. Beyond the use of Western satellites for targeting, and the presence of Western active duty and contractor personnel for targeting support, Ukraine also been widely assessed to have benefitted from significant electronic intelligence on Russian air defence systems from aircraft operating around the theatre, most notably including F-35 fighters deployed in Eastern Europe. Other surveillance assets such as E-3 AEW&C systems and RQ-4A Global Hawk drones have also maintained a significant presence around Ukraine and over the Black Sea.