Ukrainian drone operators, Photo: Genya SAVILOV / AFP / Profimedia
Ukraine's elite “Alpha” unit has destroyed or disabled Russian air defense systems valued at about $4 billion over the past 12 months, Kiev's security service reported, citing Business Insider.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on Monday that its “Alpha” special forces unit had carried out long-range strikes against Russian radar and air defense systems. The unit makes heavy use of long-range drones in its attacks.
According to the SBU, the strikes were able to open corridors in Russia's multi-layered air defenses and create safe passages that would allow long-range Ukrainian drones to penetrate deep behind enemy lines.
These deep-strike capabilities have attacked targets such as military bases, oil and weapons depots, as well as airfields, the SBU recalled. Ukraine has reported a number of such strikes, which are essential to prevent a massive concentration of Russian forces and make operations difficult.
The SBU listed the types of air defense systems it says were destroyed or damaged by the Alpha strikes: S-300 and S-400, BUK M-1 and M-2, Pantsir S-1 and S-2, as well as Tor-M1, M2 and M3. These systems range from older, Soviet-era models to some of Russia's most advanced systems.
Many of these systems have very high production costs, although the amount of losses is often calculated based on the current estimated replacement cost. Business Insider also notes that Russia's industrial weapons base is under pressure from sanctions and other factors.
The Ukrainian security service also said that the Russians also suffered losses in terms of radar reconnaissance and guidance equipment, including radar stations and radars themselves.
What is the “Alpha” unit of the Security Service of Ukraine
Group “Alpha” is an elite unit considered among the best in the Ukrainian special forces. It frequently conducts long-range drone strikes against Russian targets, including Russian aircraft, ammunition depots and oil facilities.
In November, the SBU said its “Alpha” special forces had killed more than 1,500 Russian soldiers and destroyed dozens of tanks, armored fighting vehicles, multiple rocket launchers and air defense systems in the previous month alone.
Air defense systems were a key component of the war launched by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022, fundamentally shaping how it was fought. Russia and Ukraine, at the beginning of the war, possessed the largest and second largest air defense arsenals in Europe, respectively, and the existence of these systems severely restricted front-line air operations. Neither side was able to gain permanent control of the airspace.
The lack of air cover has thwarted efforts at large-scale offensives, reducing the effectiveness of weaponry such as tanks and helping to turn the war into a slow, attrition conflict in which drones dominate and further hamper armored maneuvers.
Ukraine has reported the destruction of a large number of Russian air defense systems throughout the war, including advanced S-400 systems and numerous defense assets in the strategic peninsula of Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Neutralizing them has been a priority for Kiev.
