Defense Forces of Ukraine hit Russian Pantsir-S1 SAM

15 May, 2023 Pantsir-S1 SAM of the Russian Federation invasion forces, 2023. Illustrative photo The Defense Forces of Ukraine have targeted the Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system in the Donetsk region with a missile strike.

The video featuring the strike was published on social networks. Using the Leleka-100 UAV, a Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance unit managed to detect the camouflaged position of the Russian anti-aircraft missile system in the village of Kodema in Donetsk region, located south of the city of Bakhmut. Once the target had been identified and verified, its coordinates were transferred to the artillery unit, which struck the enemy position hitting the target.

Despite the powerful blow, there are no signs of ammunition detonation on the footage, so complete destruction is unlikely. However, hitting a powerful munition a few meters from the air defense system should have completely disabled it.

The authors of the video did not specify the type of weapons that had been fired, but given the extremely high accuracy of the first shot and the nature of the destruction, it could be assumed that the GMLRS missile from the HIMARS MRL was used during the strike. OSINT analysts have managed to verify the exact location of the Russian anti-aircraft missile system in the village of Kodema, Donetsk region (here). The position of the Russian crew was 11 kilometers from the battle line.

The site of the defeat of the Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system, May 13, 2023

According to the Oryx analytical team, as of May 15, 2023, the Russian invaders have lost a total of 15 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile systems during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The system caught on the video above should be number 16 on this list.

Past losses

A week earlier, on May 11, the Ukrainian military tracked down the Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system on the outskirts of Bakhmut.

For a long time, Ukrainian aerial intelligence was monitoring the Russian system and adjusted the fire of the Ukrainian soldiers at it, which resulted in the destruction and disabling of the combat vehicle.