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Ukrainian Drone Reportedly Destroys Russia’s Cutting-Edge S-500 Radar in Crimea, Video
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukrainian open-source investigators say a military intelligence drone has struck one of Russia’s most advanced air-defense radars—the 98L6 “Yenisey”—in occupied Crimea, in what analysts call a major blow to Moscow’s high-tech defenses, Ukrainian OSINT community CyberBoroshno reported on August 8.
The finding comes after Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) released footage showing drone strikes on Russian radar installations on the peninsula by its special operations “Prymary” unit.
While one of the damaged systems was initially believed to be the 96L6 radar from an S-400 battery, analysts from the OSINT community CyberBoroshno concluded otherwise.
“In yesterday’s HUR video, what caught our attention was the reported hit on a 96L6 radar from an S-400 system — except it wasn’t a 96L6,” the group wrote. “We analyzed the visual features and can say with confidence it was the 98L6 ‘Yenisey,’ the standard radar for the S-500 ‘Prometey’ missile system.”
The Yenisey radar completed state trials in 2020–2021 and, according to open sources, entered service in April 2021.
Russian sources claim it uses a multi-element active phased array antenna (AESA) with high resistance to jamming, capable of detecting and tracking aerodynamic and ballistic targets at ranges up to 600 kilometers and altitudes up to 100 kilometers.
Some reports say it can track hypersonic targets moving at speeds of up to 4,800 m/s (over 17,000 km/h)—potentially even intercepting low-orbit satellites.
Though visually similar to the 96L6E radar used with S-400 systems, the Yenisey features a different antenna array and the ability to operate both in full 360-degree coverage and in a narrow sector mode for improved ballistic missile detection.
According to CyberBoroshno, the radar in Crimea may have been operating with either an S-500 or an S-400 battery. Ukrainian drones also reportedly struck other Russian radars concealed inside Soviet-era radome structures in southern Crimea.
Analysts say the destruction of a Yenisey radar—a critical and expensive asset—could seriously degrade Russia’s long-range detection capabilities in the region. As CyberBoroshno summarized the consequences of the strike, saying that:
“We hit an S-500 radar with a Ukrainian drone. It’s designed to detect ballistic missiles, hypersonic vehicles, stealth aircraft, low-orbit satellites, and highly maneuverable aerial targets.”
Earlier, Ukrainian special forces from the Department of Active Operations of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) conducted a successful mission on the night of July 28 in the northern part of the Black Sea.
According to the HUR, reconnaissance units landed on Tendrivska Spit and destroyed a Russian military position. The operation resulted in the elimination of enemy personnel, a “Zont” electronic warfare system, and a “Rosa” radar station.
