Ukrainian artillery blew up a Russian Buk series (SA-11 Gadfly) surface-to-air missile system in a massive explosion.
According to the Militarnyi, the aerial reconnaissance unit of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade helped to adjust artillery fire.
The Oryx open-source intelligence site reports that Russia has lost at least 36 Buk systems, including the most advanced operational Buk-M3 version, since Russia began an invasion of Ukraine.
The BUK missile system is a Russian-made mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to defend field troops and logistical installations against air threats. It is intended to defeat tactical and strategic aircraft, cruise missiles, helicopters and other aerodynamic targets throughout the entire range of their combat employment in severe ECM environments, as well as Lance-type tactical ballistic missiles, HARM-type antiradar missiles and other airborne and ground-based high precision weapons and to engage waterborne and radio-contrast ground targets.
The Buk SAM system includes combat elements, such as a target-acquisition radar, a battle management station, self-propelled firing vehicles or TELAR, illumination and guidance radar, loader-launcher vehicles, surface-to-air guided missiles, as well as maintenance and repair facilities. The combat elements mounted either on tracked chassis.
Russia’s unprovoked and unwarranted invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians, while more than 3.7 million refugees have left the country. An additional estimated 6.5 million Ukrainians have also been displaced within Ukraine.