Ukrainian intelligence forces report they have successfully destroyed a Russian Zoopark-1 counter-battery radar system in the Donetsk region, dealing a significant blow to Russian military capabilities in the Russia-Ukraine war.
In drone footage posted on the GUR (Ukraine Intelligence Service) website on Friday, a video uploaded from YouTube shows what GUR claims is a Russian 1L219M Zoopark-1 radar system taking a direct hit by Ukraine in a precise attack, following meticulous reconnaissance by aerial drones, as reported by Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi.
The Zoopark-1, a highly advanced system, is designed to detect and counter artillery attacks by tracking the trajectory of incoming projectiles and pinpointing their launch sites.
"Soldiers of the Kryla ("Wings") unit, which is part of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine's Active Operations Department, discovered and hit the radar station," Russian newspaper Pravda reported.
Video footage of the operation appears to show the prized radar system engulfed in dark smoke which is billowing from the destroyed vehicle following the attack. The post did not disclose when or where exactly in the Donetsk region the operation took place.
The video, set to loud music, is captioned: "Soldiers of the "Kryla" unit, which is part of the active operations department of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, discovered and struck the "Zoo" radar complex of the Russian occupiers.
"The cost of such a complex is approximately 1 billion hryvnias. To destroy the Russian "zoo," scouts used four long-range FPV drones, worth 100 thousand hryvnias. The ratio is 1: 10,000. We continue the fight! Glory to Ukraine!"
They noted that the price of this station is approximately UAH 1 billion, about $24 million, Pravda reported.
Newsweek was not able to immediately verify the claims alongside the video and contacted the Russian Defense Ministry, GUR, and Ukraine press office for comment via email on Friday.
Destruction of a Zoopark-1 would highlight the increasing effectiveness of Ukrainian forces in countering advanced Russian technology on the battlefield. This would mark yet another success for Ukraine in targeting high-value Russian military assets.
As reported by Newsweek on Thursday, Ukrainian forces also claim to have destroyed $5 million worth of Russian radar equipment in an attack in Crimea, crippling part of the Russian military's defense system.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that GUR had successfully destroyed the "Podlyot" radar system stationed in western Crimea. They did not specify how the equipment was destroyed.
The Podlyot-K1 is a mobile radar system that can detect up to 200 air targets at once, and has a detection range of up to 180 miles, according to the Army Recognition website.
The system reportedly has a price tag of $5 million and is specifically designed to detect low-altitude targets, such as the drones that Ukraine has employed throughout the war. First developed in 2009, the technology has been used extensively by Russia's Air Defense Forces since 2015.
On Friday, as reported by Newsweek, Ukraine said Russian forces had lost eight tanks, 34 artillery systems, and an air defense system over the preceding 24 hours.
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