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Ukraine Blew a $4 Billion Hole in Russia’s Air Defenses in 2025
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian special operations units carried out targeted long-range strikes throughout 2025 that destroyed or disabled Russian air defense systems worth an estimated $4 billion, according to a January 19 statement by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The operations were conducted by the SBU’s Center for Special Operations “Alpha,” which, according to the agency, systematically targeted key elements of Russia’s layered air defense network over the course of the year.
«Альфа» СБУ у 2025 році відмінусувала вороже ППО на $4 млрд
— СБ України (@ServiceSsu) January 19, 2026
➡️ https://t.co/PgMQuShnS2 pic.twitter.com/zwHvh8ltNr
The SBU reported confirmed destruction of several types of Russian surface-to-air missile systems, including the S-300, S-350, and S-400 platforms. Other systems reportedly neutralized included Buk-M1 and Buk-M2 launchers, Pantsir-S1 and Pantsir-S2 combined missile-artillery systems, as well as Tor-M1, Tor-M2, and Tor-M3 short-range air defense units.
In addition to missile launchers, Ukrainian forces also struck radar and targeting infrastructure. The SBU said Russian losses included long-range surveillance systems such as the 55Zh6U “Nebo-U” and “Nebo-M,” Podlet, Nioby, Kasta-2E2, Gamma-D, and Protivnik-GE radar stations. Targeting systems associated with the Buk, S-300, and S-400 launchers, as well as the 92N6 radar array, were also reportedly destroyed or rendered inoperable.
“These operations had a systemic effect,” the SBU stated. “They opened corridors through Russia’s multi-layered air defense system and enabled the safe passage of Ukrainian long-range drones deep into enemy territory—striking military bases, ammunition depots, airfields, and other strategic targets.”
The strikes, many of which were conducted using long-range drones guided by real-time intelligence, form part of Kyiv’s broader campaign to weaken Russian military infrastructure in occupied territory and beyond the front lines.
In recent months, Ukrainian drone strikes have increasingly targeted logistics hubs, radar arrays, and anti-aircraft batteries in areas far from the active combat zone, including regions of Russia previously considered secure from aerial threats.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved new long-range operations by the Security Service of Ukraine targeting Russian military infrastructure, with a particular focus on air defense systems.
Following a briefing by SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk in August 2025, Zelenskyy said the agency’s strikes had already played a key role in enabling Ukrainian deep‑strike operations and confirmed he had authorized additional missions, while noting that operational details would remain classified.
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