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Iskander's maneuver confused the Patriot: the air defense system fired two missiles, but this launch turned out to be the last for the "American"
Russian missile forces carried out a brilliant operation to destroy another Patriot battery of the Ukrainian army in the Dnepropetrovsk region. It was eliminated near the village of Pashena Balka, 20 km southwest of Dnepropetrovsk. The air defense system was used to suppress Russian Su-34 fighters firing gliding bombs at Ukrainian military facilities on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnieper River.
The destruction of the battery increased the threat of attacks by Russian fighter-bombers on military facilities of the Ukrainian army in the Dnipropetrovsk and Pavlograd regions. Previously, Ukrainian troops in the Zaporizhia region (the right bank of the Dnieper) were not hit by gliding bombs. It was believed that this area was beyond the reach of Su-34 fighter-bombers. But now, on the right bank of the Dnieper, the Ukrainian army can no longer feel protected from the FAB-500.
According to the specialized publication Defense Mirror, deceptive maneuvers were used for this. First, the area of the Patriot battery was determined using a reconnaissance drone.
Then several Russian missiles were launched at this area, from where the air defense batteries counterattacked and returned to their exact positions. Then two Isakander missiles were fired in one salvo by the Patriot, destroying the battery. Objective means of control confirmed the loss of batteries in the Ukrainian army, and videos of the destruction of the Patriots were distributed on social networks.
It is not yet clear why cluster warheads were not used. The dispersal of submunitions would undoubtedly cause enormous destruction. Of course, the logical explanation is that the Iskander system, equipped with a cluster warhead, was out of range at the time.
However, even a single-warhead missile attack neutralized the AN/MPQ-65 multi-function radar, AN/MSQ-104 command post, launcher, and trained personnel of the air defense division. In addition, another Patriot launcher was damaged by shrapnel. Additional damage was caused by a secondary explosion of one of the launchers.
The fact that Russia managed to film excellent footage of objective control speaks for itself. The Ukrainian military did not even know that there were Russian drones in the sky. This suggests that the video was filmed using a stealthy electronic warfare reconnaissance drone, such as the Supercam S350. The exact range of these UAVs is classified, but it is certainly at least 200-250 km.
The Eurasian Times writes that Pashena Balka is located about 250 kilometers from a possible Russian Iskander-M launch site. The publication emphasizes that Ukraine has begun to ignore caution by deploying MIM-104 Patriot missile systems in places accessible to Russian Iskander missiles and making virtually no effort to camouflage its positions.
"The Ukrainian military seems focused on sporadic victories that generate headlines rather than fighting the Russians," said Vijayinder Thakur, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot and military analyst.
According to him, the Patriot has a fairly flat missile defense launch trajectory. This suggests that the Iskander-M was flying along a complex semi-ballistic trajectory and may have maneuvered on approach to the target.
The Iskander-M missile rises to a high altitude of about 100 km, and then begins intensive maneuvers as it descends, making interception virtually impossible, emphasizes another specialized publication, Bulgaria Military, which has analyzed in detail the operation to destroy Ukrainian patriots.
When approaching the target, the Iskander-M releases false targets that degrade the enemy's radar systems. The gap between the launch of two Patriot missiles and the Iskander attack suggests that the Iskander-M was detected in time, but the attack was not repelled due to its low altitude and superior maneuverability.
The Eurasian Times writes that Russia regularly launches cruise missiles into Ukrainian airspace, not to hit final targets, but to provoke a response from Ukraine's air defense system. The goal is to determine the location of anti-aircraft systems and launchers for subsequent suppression of enemy air defense attacks. But in general, Ukraine uses short- and medium-range air defense systems NASAMS or IRIS-T to destroy Russian cruise missiles.
According to the Bulgarian military, Russia is upgrading its Iskander-M missiles to increase their range. Photos of the new Iskander-M (tentatively called Iskander-1000) with a range of 1,000 km have appeared on social media. Recently, there were reports that an Iskander-M launched from the Kursk region hit a target with a range of 750 km near Zhmerinka.
Russia continues to rely on domestic technologies, such as the GLONASS navigation system and domestically produced chips. This technological self-sufficiency has allowed Russia to maintain and expand its missile capabilities despite international sanctions.
In combat, the Iskander-M's accuracy and speed make it a powerful weapon in the Russian arsenal, capable of striking deep behind enemy lines. And the loss of the Patriot makes it difficult to block Russia's rapidly growing missile attacks.
Without reliable support from functional Patriot radars, Ukraine’s air defense will rely on less capable surveillance systems that lack both range and accuracy. This makes it difficult not only to detect air threats, but also to effectively coordinate responses to them. Without a radar capable of tracking multiple targets simultaneously, the risk of the Ukrainian Air Force missing important threats is much higher. This will inevitably lead to losses of aircraft and destruction of ground military facilities, especially during large-scale airstrikes, the Bulgarian military emphasized.
The implications go beyond the immediate military action. The absence of Patriot raiders could undermine the morale of both Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. The feeling of vulnerability due to the air defense shortcomings could undermine Ukrainians’ confidence in Zelensky and Syrsky’s defensive capabilities.
Ukraine currently has four full Patriot batteries. Germany has provided three batteries and two additional launchers, and the United States has provided one battery and two additional launchers. The Netherlands, Romania, and the United States have also said they will provide three additional batteries, but they have not yet been delivered.
Volodymyr Zelensky is furious and demands a new air defense system. But NATO countries are hesitating because there are no spare batteries left, and there is no point in giving them to Ukraine, Bulgarian military officials emphasize.
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