Ukraine says troops destroyed half of Russian Pantsir systems

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said its Alpha special operations unit destroyed roughly half of Russia’s Pantsir truck-mounted road-mobile air defense systems eliminated during 2025 operations, according to an official statement released by the agency.

The SBU stated that fighters from the Alpha Center for Special Operations targeted Russian Pantsir surface-to-air missile and gun systems throughout the year as part of coordinated strikes aimed at weakening Russian air defense coverage. The agency described the Pantsir as one of Russia’s key modern air defense platforms and a primary system used to counter Ukrainian long-range drones.

“Pantsir is one of the modern and key air defense systems of the Russian Federation. The cost of one complex ranges from 15 to 20 million U.S. dollars. These air defense missile and gun systems are the most effective in countering Ukrainian long-range drones,” the SBU said in its statement.

According to the agency, the destruction of Pantsir systems was pursued as part of a broader operational objective. “That is why the systematic destruction of Pantsirs has a strategic goal — breaking through the enemy’s air defense and creating corridors for striking targets deep in its rear,” the statement said. “This allows the Defense Forces of Ukraine to effectively strike military bases, warehouses, airfields and other occupiers’ facilities.”

The SBU added that the total value of Russian air defense systems destroyed by Alpha unit operations in 2025 is estimated at approximately $4 billion.

The Pantsir system combines short- to medium-range surface-to-air missiles with rapid-fire cannons mounted on a mobile platform. Designed to protect critical infrastructure and high-value military assets, the system is widely deployed by Russian forces to defend airbases, logistics hubs, and strategic facilities against aircraft, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

By reducing short-range air defense coverage, Ukrainian forces aim to increase survivability for long-range unmanned aerial systems used in precision strikes.

Independent open-source tracking group Oryx has verified that Russia has lost at least 38 Pantsir systems since the start of the full-scale invasion. Oryx compiles equipment losses based on visually confirmed evidence.

Ukrainian General Staff figures provide higher overall estimates, reporting that Russia has lost at least 1,300 air defense systems of various types during the conflict, while Oryx has visually confirmed at least 379 destroyed or captured air defense assets.