Russian "killer UAV" destroyed by Ukraine, explodes in Kherson

Sát thủ UAV của Nga bị Ukraine phá hủy, nổ tung ở Kherson - 1 — Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense missile-gun complex is believed to have been destroyed in Ukraine (Photo: US Defense News).

Ukrainian forces have destroyed an advanced Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile-gun system in the southern Kherson region, where fierce fighting is taking place.

In a clip shared by the Ukrainian military in southern Ukraine and widely circulated on open-source intelligence accounts, a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system appears to come under fire from Ukrainian forces in the Moscow-controlled Kherson region.

Newsweek was unable to independently verify the footage and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email but has not yet received a response.

Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense system destroyed in Ukraine (Source: Newsweek).

Russia's Pantsir-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile-gun system has been deployed in Ukraine throughout Moscow's special military operation, which is now in its 21st month.

The short-range mobile air defense system, believed to cost around $15 million, is designed to counter aircraft, cruise missiles, precision-guided munitions and support other air defense units against larger attacks.

The Pantsir-S1 system was reportedly destroyed by Ukraine near the village of Chaplynka in Kherson, a popular open-source intelligence account said, calling the system a “killer drone.”

The Chaplynka settlement is quite far from the current front line in Russian-controlled territory, and Newsweek was unable to independently verify this.

The Ukrainian General Staff was also reached for comment by Newsweek via email but has not yet responded.

Russia's Kherson region is one of four Ukrainian enclaves annexed by Moscow in the fall of 2022. The Dnieper River that runs through the region is the current front line, after a lightning counteroffensive last fall saw Ukrainian forces successfully push Russian troops back east of the river.

Ukrainian forces are constantly conducting operations east or on the left bank of the Dnieper River, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest update.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff said Ukrainian defence forces "maintained holding positions on the left bank of the river" and added that their troops "continued to conduct counter-attacks as they attacked behind enemy lines".

On November 19, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had eliminated 20 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed two Ukrainian vehicles in the previous 24 hours in Kherson.

After slow progress in Kiev’s summer counteroffensive, movement along the frontline has largely stalled. ISW added that while Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to advance in the south and east, heavy rainfall will hamper operations until winter conditions “fully set in.”

According to the Dutch open-source intelligence agency Oryx, Russia has lost 21 confirmed Pantsir-S1 systems in Ukraine between February 2022 and early October 2023. However, the actual number may be higher, as this figure only includes losses verified through published images and videos.

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