Ukraine Destroys Rare Russian Radar in Belgorod

(BELGOROD OBLAST, RUSSIA) – Ukrainian forces have destroyed a rare Russian Kasta 2E2 radar system in the Belgorod region, eliminating a critical component of the adversary’s early warning air defence network.

Drone operators from Ukraine’s 429th Achilles Brigade struck the radar station near the village of Volotovo, approximately 80 kilometres from the Ukrainian border and north of Belgorod city. Footage of the engagement shows the system deployed within a tree line, its mast fully raised and rotating, confirming it was in active operation at the time of impact.

The strike appears to have been executed with precision. According to an analysis of the video, the munition directly hit the radar’s mast, which constitutes the most valuable and costly element of the system. Destroying the mast effectively renders the entire unit useless.

The Kasta 2E2 is a Russian mobile radar platform ostensibly designed to detect and track up to 200 targets within a 150 kilometre radius, including aircraft, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles flying at ultra low altitudes. The system functions as the forward eyes of the Russian air defence network by feeding tracking data to surface to air missile batteries, enabling early interception of incoming threats.

Its placement in the Belgorod region indicates it served as a first line of defence for Russian territory, scanning for drones and missiles approaching targets further north, including Voronezh and Moscow. In theory, the radar should have been capable of detecting small, low flying objects. In this instance, the system’s only warning of an approaching drone was its own destruction.

The geolocation of the strike was verified using open source intelligence, placing the destroyed radar in the tree line within Belgorod Oblast. The 429th Achilles Brigade released the video of the operation.