DIU destroys Russian An-26 and key air defence radars in Crimea

DIU destroys Russian An-26 and two radars in Crimea: video of strike released

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine released a video of the destruction of a Russian An-26 and two radar stations in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The strike was carried out by fighters of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine «Ghosts», using attack drones.

Russian military prepares aircraft for departure - The Started the engines and carried out pre-take-off preparations. It was at this point that the Ukrainian drone operators hit into the left-hand turboprop engine, The aircraft was stopped from taking off and effectively taken out of service.

Destroyed radars

In addition to the aircraft, the scouts hit two important elements of Russian air defence:

• 55Zh6M «Nebo-M» - is a multifunctional long-range radar, one of the key radars for detecting targets at long distances;
• 64H6E - a dome radar station that served as a «through the eyes of the S-300/S-400 systems.

The destruction of these systems significantly reduces the capabilities of Russian air defence on the Crimean direction.

The value of the operation

- The destruction of the An-26 deprives the Russians of transport and intelligence resources;
- The destruction of radar limits Russia's ability to control airspace;
- The operation demonstrates that Ukrainian drones are capable of operating over long distances and with high accuracy.

The DIU emphasises that this is only part of a systematic campaign to «blind» Russian air defences.