Russian Air Defense System Appears to Explode in Central Belgorod After Drone Strike, Video

Ukrainian forces likely struck an unidentified Russian surface-to-air missile system in central Belgorod overnight on July 27, triggering a powerful secondary explosion and a large fire.

Footage shared by OSINT channel Exilenova+ shows a fixed-wing strike drone descending on a target along Grazhdansky Avenue in the heart of the Russian city.

Moments after impact, the target erupts in a detonation consistent with solid-fuel missiles igniting. Flames spread across the site as a dense column of black smoke rises above the surrounding buildings.

The exact type of air defense system has not yet been identified, and Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed what was hit.

Belgorod also experienced an emergency power outage following the overnight attack. Water service was reportedly interrupted in several parts of the city.

In addition to that, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said its drone operators destroyed key elements of a Russian S-400 Triumf air defense system in temporarily occupied Crimea.

According to HUR, operators from its Unmanned Systems Department struck a launcher and a 96L6 target acquisition radar belonging to the long-range surface-to-air missile system. The agency released video footage showing the reported strikes.

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