A Ukrainian drone of the National Guard of Ukraine hit a Russian Buk-M1 launcher in the Donetsk region.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, reported on this.

“Last week, the Guards destroyed an expensive Buk-M1 missile system of the invaders. Effective reconnaissance combined with precise combat work is the key to high-quality demilitarization of the enemy army, which can be seen in the video,” the minister stated.

The video reveals that the SAM system was detected by a reconnaissance drone while in motion. Scouts tracked it until it halted, at which point a bomber drone was deployed to destroy it.

The drone was probably spotted by the enemy, as the unit tried to leave the position when it approached. However, the drone operator managed to strike the vehicle twice with a munition. At the same time, the “grill” was unable to protect the system from damage.

The first strike targeted the vehicle’s nose, near the radar, which, even if it didn’t completely destroy the unit, would render it inoperative for an extended period and necessitate costly repairs.

The second hit occurred in the aft part of the vehicle and caused an abnormal operation of an anti-aircraft missile, as well as a fire on board. As a result, the unit stopped and the crew abandoned the vehicle, shortly after which the fire triggered the second anti-aircraft missile.

OSINT analysts of the “War in Ukraine. Losses of equipment” Telegram channel determined that the damage occurred near the village of Vodiane, Donetsk region, not far from the Donetsk airport. The place where the BUK was targeted is approximately 20 km from the front line as of early January 2025.

According to the minister’s statement, 18 tanks, 44 armored vehicles, 37 artillery systems, and 12 mortars were destroyed in the first week of 2025. As well as 45 vehicles, 10 electronic warfare systems and 12 ammunition depots.

Changing the paradigm of defeat

Russian air defense assets pose a major threat on the battlefield, so their destruction by all available means is very important.

However, while previously expensive and few long-range kamikaze drones and HIMARS high-precision rockets were used to destroy them, since the fall of 2024, numerous videos have begun to appear of large bomber drones striking directly at self-propelled guns and vehicles from Russian air defense systems far behind the front line.

The destruction of a system of this class is a significant loss for the enemy and opens a window of opportunity for Ukrainian combat aircraft, cruise missiles and long-range strike drones.