Ukrainian forces have reportedly launched a precision strike using U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles on an S-400 air-defense system in Russia’s Kursk region.
According to a statement from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the attack, carried out over the weekend, destroyed a 92N6E radar station, two missile launchers, and other components of the S-400 system, which was undergoing maintenance at the time. The strike also reportedly killed five officers from the 1490th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, part of Russia’s 6th Army, as well as three technicians from Almaz-Antey JSC, the state corporation responsible for the system’s development.
Images shared by Ukrainian sources, showing scorched areas and multiple impact points, suggest the use of at least two ATACMS missiles. These are precision-guided ballistic missiles with a range of up to 190 miles, recently greenlit for use against targets inside Russian territory by the U.S.
⚡️ The video shows how the air defense (S-300/400) tries to repel the attack, but receives two ATACMS
The defense failed, and the high-precision missiles hit the target.
The marksmanship of the Armed Forces is at its best!#Kursk #UkraineRussiaWar #RussiaIsCollapsing pic.twitter.com/hyzqN2OGy2
— A.Doe 🇩🇪 🇺🇦 ❤️🔥 (@AndreasDoeh) November 25, 2024
Russian channels say Ukraine destroyed Russian S-400 air defense system components with ATACMS missiles in the Kursk region on Nov. 23.
Reportedly, two S-400 launchers and a radar station were destroyed, and five Russian military personnel and three civilian engineers of the… pic.twitter.com/BwbJ8sKQgd
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) November 25, 2024
The S-400 Triumf, a system regarded as one of the most advanced air-defense platforms in the world, is typically deployed to defend against a wide range of threats, including ballistic missiles, aircraft, and drones. It costs approximately $200 million per battery, representing a significant loss for the Russian military.
The strike on the S-400 follows heightened Ukrainian efforts to disrupt Russian military operations in the border regions, particularly Kursk, which has seen consistent attacks since Ukraine’s counteroffensive earlier this year.
This is not the first reported instance of an S-400 being destroyed in the Kursk region. In September 2024, Ukrainian forces claimed to have taken out another radar installation belonging to the system, indicating a broader strategy to neutralize advanced Russian air-defense capabilities.
In response, Russia’s Ministry of Defense did not acknowledge damage to the S-400 system, instead reporting the interception of 27 drones over Kursk on the same night. Moscow has also escalated its rhetoric, launching experimental hypersonic missiles at targets in Ukraine, which it described as retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weaponry.
