Ukraine claims to capture Russia's Pantsir-S1 missile system; is it a rich catch?

The Ukrainian forces said it had captured a "special’ trophy" in the form of the anti-aircraft missile system.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

As the battle for Kyiv unfolded, President Zelenksy's forces said they had captured Russia's air defence missile system Pantsir-S1. The premium missile defence system is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and missile (SPAAGM) system.

It is a mobile-based missile defence system with a range of 20km. It has been in service since 2003 in various versions. Pantsir-S1 is a surface-to-air (SAM) defence system with 20 kg high-explosive fragmentation warheads.

The system is also possessed by Iran, Iraq, Slovenia, Brazil, Algeria, Syria, UAE and Vietnam.

The Ukrainian forces said it had captured a "special’ trophy" in the form of anti-aircraft missile system while adding that one MiG-29, three Bayraktar TB-2 drones and a Tochka-U tactical missile system were destroyed even as Russian forces fight their way forward towards Kyiv.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

The Ukrainians in fact also showed off AK-74 and AK-47M assault rifles which they had reportedly captured from Russian forces including RPG-7. A prize weapon  AK-12 rifle was also reportedly seen in the hands of top Ukrainian officials.

In a significant move, the US said Ukraine does not MiGs but ground-based weapons including surface-to-air systems.
 

As Russian forces continue to pound Ukraine, the country has been using rocket fire indiscriminately since February 24 when Putin declared his "special operation" against Ukraine.

The Russian Army is reportedly using Grad (Hail), Smerch(Tornado) and Urgan(Hurricane) multiple rocket launchers.

The Grad is reportedly capable of firing 20 rockets in less than 20 seconds. It is a Soviet-era launcher first developed in the 60s. The missile literally means "hail" in Russian signifying a hailstorm of bombs pouring out from the air at a targeted area.

Human rights activists have hit out against Russia's indiscriminate use of rocket launchers targeted at civilian areas.

Russia has reportedly used the Grad rocket launchers in Kharkiv which has reportedly suffered immense damage. It was also reportedly used by Volnovakha and Donetsk targeting civilians.

According to reports, Russia fired the Soviet-era BM-27 Uragan (Hurricane)  against Ukrainian cities. The missiles have been launched on truck-mounted on the Zil-135 8X8 chassis. 

Reports claim the US has sent AN/TQP-53 Quick Reaction counterbattery radars to Ukraine to track the Russian rocket launchers.

The Uragan rockets had first entered service in 1977. The rocket launchers can fire two rounds per second with high-explosive fragmentary warheads. Reports claim Uragan-1M has been developed by the Russian defence forces with improved fire control systems.

The "air-droppable" version of the Tornado-G missile can be mounted on a new chassis. The Tornado-G launcher has been derived from the Grad system. It can reportedly launch its system quickly and can rapidly change its firing position.

Russia is expected to retain the  Tornado multiple launch rocket systems for a long time. The Tornado-S rocket system has a range of upto 120 km. The smart rocket is set to enter into serial production, according to Splav.

 

As the war with Russia continues to drag on, Ukraine has deployed the lethal Punisher drones which has carried out several successful missions.

It can reportedly fly upto 30 miles inside enemy territory and has been used to disrupt Russia's supply lines blasting the long convoys and targeting the ammunition dumps.

The drones fly almost undetected with a wingspan of 7.5 feet and can fly at a height of 1,300 feet. The flight path of the "Punisher" is automatic and it feeds off its companion drone called the "Spectre" which helps in reconnaissance and identifying targets.

The drone is reportedly designed by a company called UA Dynamics comprising of veterans who fought in the Crimea conflict against Russia in 2014.

The Ukrainian ambassador in Ankara has regularly tweeted images of explosions attributed to the drones, targeting Russian columns and artillery, with accompanying phrases like: "#c -- "Mashallah (God be praised)" and strings of joyous emojis. 

"These TB2 strikes are, in comparison to ground combat, relatively small in number, but important for Ukrainian morale precisely because it shows Russia does not control the skies," said Aaron Stein, of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

As missiles struck Ukrainian cities early on February 24 with columns of troops pouring across its borders from Russia, Putin's regime said it was using artillery and missiles to target cities.

Russian defence authorities announced they were using Kalibr cruise missiles among other heavy weapons against Ukraine.

In fact, during the naval exercise ships and submarines from the Northern and Black Sea Fleets launched Kalibr cruise missiles and Zircon hypersonic missiles at sea and land targets. General Valery Gerasimov said the aim was to "guarantee the defeat of the enemy".

Russia's defence ministry also released footage of aircraft launching a Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missile and striking a land target.