Remember when Ukrainian forces destroyed one of Putin's most advanced air defense weapons?

In September 2024, Ukrainian forces destroyed one of Russia's advanced medium-range air defense systems in a bold strike after it was spotted in a field, hiding near the frontlines in Russia's Kursk region.

The 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion claimed on September 23rd, that its drone operators located and then destroyed one of Russia's newest medium-ranged air defense systems: the 9K317M Buk-M3. 

Combat footage released by the Ukrainian unit showed the attack on the Russian Buk-M3 and revealed that soldiers used rocket artillery to strike and eliminate the powerful Russian air defense system in Kursk, Russia.

The 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion worked in cooperation with the 78th Airborne Assault Regiment to target—and then attack—the Russian air defense system. 

“Kursk. We are clearing the sky of parasites. Buk-M3,” the 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion reported on Telegram alongside the drone footage the battalion posted according to a translation from Militarnyi. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0

Militarnyi also noted that the “Buk-M3 is the most modern version” of Russia’s Buk family of self-propelled medium-range surface-to-air missile launchers. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Nickel Nitride, Own Work, CC0

“It uses missiles with active radar homing, which has significantly increased its effectiveness on the battlefield and performs not only air defense, but also missile defense,” Militarnyi explained. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Leonidl, Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0

Newsweek also reported on the video footage and noted that the Buk-M3 can use precision-guided munitions to intercept ballistic missiles and other air targets at a range of up to 65 kilometers (or 40 miles).

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Yuriy Lapitskiy, CC BY-SA 2.0

The footage showed the discovery of two Russian vehicles near a treeline in the Kursk region; they were later identified to be two different models of the Buk missile system.

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

Militarnyi reported that one of the vehicles was identified as a 9A316M TEL while the other was a 9K317M TELAR, the missile system targeted and attacked in the footage. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0

“One peculiarity of the Buk-M3 system is that it has two types of launchers: a TELAR equipped with detection and targeting radar and six missiles and a TEL that does not have its own radar but has dual ammunition,” Militarnyi noted. 

The two missile systems appear to have been discovered at some point during the day since the video shows slightly darker scenes as it proceeds and the M3-Buk is attacked. However, that could be due to the quality of the video. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

Several scenes in the footage were edited together showing the positions of the Russian vehicles, which appeared to be enclosed in a field with two treelines to their sides.

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

The footage identified one of the two missile systems and displayed a description of the vehicle with a picture of Buk-M3. The video did not identify the other missile system. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

Little happens in the thirty-eight-second video clip until it reaches its end. One Russian vehicle fired a missile, which may have been fired to prevent the attack that hit the other system shortly after the first system launched its surface-to-air missile. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

The attack showed the tell-tale signs of a High Mobility Rocket Artillery Strike. However, the 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion did not confirm this detail in its report. Militarnyi noted the Buk-M3 was “almost directly hit by a GMLRS rocket.” 

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

“Militarnyi also noted that the quality of the video did not allow it to “determine whether the self-propelled vehicle was hit or destroyed.”

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that the Buk-M3 was destroyed by Ukrainian forces when it published the video on its X account following the successful attack. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

“Something went wrong with the Russian Buk M3 air defense system. The Ukrainian warriors destroyed it,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s post stated. 

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.

Photo Credit: Telegram @raid_413

The incident in September wasn't the first time in recent months that Ukrainian forces have located and destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 air defense system. A very similar situation unfolded in October 2024.

Photo Credit: Telegram @usf_army

On October 21st, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces, in coordination with the Ukrainian Defense Forces, successfully targeted and destroyed a Buk-M3 air defense system. The operation was recorded by a drone flying overhead and the footage has been released online.

Photo Credit: Telegram @usf_army

Ukrainian troops spotted the 9A317M launcher vehicle of a Russian Buk-M3 air defense system 60 kilometers or roughly 37 miles behind the frontlines and promptly destroyed the system with a cheap bomber drone according to Miltiarnyi. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @usf_army

“This example once again demonstrates the effectiveness of modern technologies: a munition costing only $500 destroyed a strike component of an enemy air defense system, which is estimated to cost about $100 million in full,” the Unmanned Systems Forces explained according to Militarnyi in a Telegram alongside a video of the incident.