The S-400 is Russia’s most modern anti-aircraft system, which is used only to protect the most important targets.
Ukraine says it has destroyed a state-of-the-art S-400 anti-aircraft system that was operating in Yevpatoria, Crimea, yesterday Thursday.
In the operation carried out by the Ukrainian special forces and the navy, the radars and antennas of the anti-aircraft station were first destroyed, after which the “blinded” missile unit was blown up with two Neptune cruise missiles. The S-400 was therefore unable to detect the approaching Ukrainian aircraft.
A research institute following the war in Ukraine Institute for the Study of War says he is puzzled by Russia’s air defense failures in the Crimean peninsula. According to it, the air defense of Russia, which is occupying Crimea, has a large system failure.
A similar S-400 system known as Triumf was also destroyed in Crimea on August 23.
Head teacher of air warfare Tomi Lyytinen sees that the attacks are above all about Ukraine’s high-level operational skills and innovative methods of operation.
– I am very impressed by this event, if it is true, as it has become clear from many sources. If the second destruction of the same system in August is also true, this will be a significant loss for Russia.
The operation required careful planning
The S-400 is one of Russia’s most modern IT missile systems. The system, which costs more than a billion dollars a piece, is advertised as being able to destroy missiles up to 400 kilometers away.
According to Lyytinen, it is tactically a really big deal for Ukraine to be able to destroy Russia’s expensive and really high-performance systems. Thursday’s attack required very professional planning.
– It’s a matter of minutes to get a drone attack done first so that we can investigate and remove the antennas, after which a different system, i.e. Neptune cruise missiles, is used to target the launch devices.
According to Lyytinen, the S-400 system usually also includes shorter-range systems that protect the actual system. It can also tell a part about Russia’s lack of resources that Ukraine has been able to strike from below the radar horizon, so that even the protective systems have not repelled the attack.
Bringing in a new system is out of the question
Director of the Anti-Aircraft Museum Esa Kelloniemi according to, after the successful attacks in Ukraine, Russia now has to rethink its operating principles of anti-aircraft systems.
– How close and where do you dare to take them? How often should you change stations? They now have to figure out how to avoid such before they regroup.
For its price, the S-400 is a system that Russia only uses to protect its most important areas. Now the big question is how Russia plans to replace the systems lost in Crimea.
According to Kelloniemi, a new similar system can in principle be installed in a few days, but then it will be away from some other area.
Lyytinen, the head teacher of air science, points out that the threshold for bringing in a third system can be big, when the previous two have already been destroyed.
In terms of production, it takes years to create a new system.
– It is such a great technology that it is not easy to manufacture more of it. This is also a matter of resources, how much money and personnel are available, says Lyytinen.
Drones have changed warfare
According to Kelloniemi, Ukraine has been able to act very innovatively in a situation where they have not been able to control the airspace. In recent months, various attacks have been carried out in Moscow, Pskov, and now in Crimea as well.
It is an image loss for the Russian air defense.
– No matter where the units of the Russian army are, there is uncertainty in their defense. They have to move their forces further away, which makes operating, maintenance and everything else more difficult, Kelloniemi lists.
According to Lyytinen, many things are happening in Ukraine now that have not been observed in previous wars. The role of innovation should not be forgotten either.
– Ukraine has an excellent understanding of how drones can be used in modern warfare.