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Polish Analyst: Ukraine’s S-125 Newa-SC Appears to Mark Ballistic Missile Intercepts
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Polish experts have noted that their modernized S-125 Newa-SC surface-to-air missile system, transferred to Ukraine in 2022, appears to have been used against ballistic missiles, according to published images from a post by Ukraine’s 302nd Kharkiv Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.
The observation was made by Polish defense journalist Mariusz Marszałkowski, on October 3, who analyzed the photo released by Ukraine’s Air Command “East” and the brigade.
The image shows markings of intercepted targets, including what Marszałkowski identifies as eight marks corresponding to ballistic missiles.
Ciekawe zdjęcie 🇺🇦 systemu OPL, którego malowanie i układ łudząco przypomina ex-polską S-125SC Newa.
— Mariusz Marszałkowski (@MJMarszalkowski) October 3, 2025
Zwraca uwagę liczba zniszczonych celów, tym co zaskakujące, pocisków balistycznych i mnóstwo pocisków manewrujących. Dowód na to, że sprzęt ten na koniec swojej służby świetnie… pic.twitter.com/8pyJB02jxE
“Among the marks resembling cruise missiles, eight appear to correspond to ballistic targets,” Marszałkowski said.
He also noted that the photo clearly shows Polish camouflage and the radar cabin of the SNR-125M system mounted on a MAZ-543 chassis.
Ukraine reportedly received the S-125 Newa-SC systems by December 2022. Compared to the older Soviet versions, the Newa-SC features a tracked T-55 chassis for launchers, a wheeled MAZ-543 chassis for radar, and fully digitalized control systems.
Poland had approximately six such upgraded divisions as of early 2022.
Officially, however, even the Newa-SC is not designed to intercept ballistic targets; it is optimized for aerodynamic targets at ranges up to 18 km. Ukraine had previously upgraded S-125 missiles to the 5V27D-M2 variant with active radar seekers and new guidance systems, but even these were not declared capable of hitting ballistic missiles.
Experts caution that the target markings on the system may represent a range of threats, such as drones or other missile types, not necessarily ballistic missiles.
Earlier, it was reported that Norway’s 332nd Squadron from Ørland Air Base has been stationed in the Polish city of Poznań as part of a NATO mission to safeguard allied airspace.
-9220540186162ee79463169b5478a8d5.jpg "Soldiers of Ukraine’s 40th Coastal Defense Brigade prepare a SHARK UAV for a mission in Kherson region, January 2025. (Source: Getty Images)")
