This is the moment Ukrainians annihilate a Russian air defence system in an occupied region.
Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko shared on the messaging app Telegram a brief clip showing an S-350 missile system exploding into a ball of fire.
The S-350 Vityaz was located in the Ukrainian region of Kherson, still partially occupied by Russians, it is claimed.
This medium-range surface-to-air missile system was reportedly eliminated by a drone operated by the National Guard of Ukraine.
Mr Klymenko said this was just one of the pieces of equipment Ukrainian drones have been able to take out in recent days.
The Ukrainian officials claimed operators of military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in his country also eliminated eight units of light mobile automobile transports, one military truck and one automated military anti-aircraft missile system. He added: “We beat the enemy non-stop!”
It isn’t clear when the attack on the S-350 Vityaz and the other operations mentioned by Mr Klymenko took place. Express.co.uk was not immediately able to verify the video he shared.
Mr Klymenko’s post, shared on December 6, comes a few weeks after Ukraine’s Brigadier General Serhiy Baranov said Kyiv wanted to build on over the winter months what had been achieved during the counter-offensive.
As the terrain is turning muddy and frozen due to the changing weather conditions, it is unlikely Ukrainians will be able to move the frontline.
But the chief of the military unit overseeing drone operations said Kyiv wants to keep the offensive against Russia going by launching drone attacks on key Russian infrastructure.
The arrival of winter and heavy snow – and how the cold will change the war for the next few months – was acknowledged by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month.
He told AP: “We have a new phase of war, and that is a fact. Winter as a whole is a new phase of war.
Mr Zelensky also touched upon the successes and disappointments of the counter-offensive which, launched in June, failed to reconquer major areas as it had instead happened during the offensive operation in November 2022.
He said: “We are fighting with the second (best) army in the world, I am satisfied.”
However, upon acknowledging the human loss experienced by Ukraine as troops need to advance through heavily mined areas, he added: “We are losing people, I’m not satisfied. We didn’t get all the weapons we wanted, I can’t be satisfied, but I also can’t complain too much.”
Providing an appraisal of the counter-offensive, Mr Zelensky also said: “We wanted faster results. From that perspective, unfortunately, we did not achieve the desired results. And this is a fact.”
