Ukraine destroys 48% of Russia's Pantsir systems, says SBU chief
Illustrative photo: Ukrainian soldiers destroy Russian Pantsir systems (Getty Images)
Ukrainian defenders are actively destroying Russian Pantsir air defense systems, achieving significant successes, stated the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) head Vasyl Malyuk during a briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Malyuk emphasized that Russia has very strong air defenses. The Pantsir systems are most effective against Ukrainian long-range drones.
"From the beginning of 2025 until today, we have destroyed 48% of enemy Pantsir systems. This is a priority set by the President of Ukraine," he added.
According to the SBU chief, Russia produces about 30 such systems per year, but the number destroyed far exceeds this figure.
Pantsir-S1 and Pantsir-S2
The Pantsir-S1 system was adopted by the Russian Armed Forces in November 2012.
Russia uses it to protect important facilities from aerial threats, including aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, drones, and precision-guided munitions.
The Pantsir-S1 combines missile armament with automatic cannon artillery.
The system can destroy targets at a range of up to 20 kilometers and at altitudes up to 15 kilometers. Its cannons operate at a range of up to 4 kilometers and an altitude of up to 3 kilometers.
There is also an upgraded version, the Pantsir-S2, which can engage targets at even greater distances.
The Pantsir-S2 is equipped with a modernized SOTS radar system, increasing detection range to more than 40 kilometers.
Notably, Ukrainian SBU drones destroyed a Pantsir-S2 system a few days ago in temporarily occupied Crimea. The cost of such a system is approximately 20 million dollars.
