Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Not really the best advertisement for the system.
Not really the best advertisement for the system.
What is happening?
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) announced a major success on Sept. 14, claiming its special forces located and destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 missile system in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Buk-M3: A $40 million target taken down
The Buk-M3 is no ordinary missile system. Valued between $40–$50 million, it’s one of Russia’s most advanced air defense assets.
Designed to take out aerial and ground-based threats, the system’s loss marks a significant blow to Russian military capabilities in the region.
Can hit 36 targets at once
Manufactured by Russia’s Almaz-Antey, the Buk-M3 is engineered for high-threat environments.
It can reportedly track and engage up to 36 targets at the same time — including jets, helicopters, drones, and even cruise missiles.
Strike took place in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia
According to HUR, the attack occurred in Russian-occupied territory, underscoring Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to disrupt enemy operations deep behind the front lines.
A Soviet legacy, reinvented by Russia
The Buk missile family dates back to the 1970s, developed by the Soviet Union as a mobile, medium-range defense system.
Over the years, it has evolved through multiple versions, with the Buk-M3 representing the most advanced iteration to date.
The system behind the MH17 tragedy
The Buk platform gained international notoriety in 2014, when it was used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine.
The incident killed all 298 people aboard and drew global condemnation.
Ukraine’s track record against Buk systems
This isn’t the first time Ukraine has claimed success against the Buk. In May 2025, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said they destroyed another Buk-M3 at an undisclosed location.
In February, a similar strike was reported in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Strategic victory or symbolic win?
While the destruction of a Buk-M3 is tactically significant, its broader impact remains uncertain.
Russia retains a large inventory of air defense systems, but each loss chips away at its front-line defenses and highlights Ukraine’s growing precision-strike capability.
Kyiv keeps pressure on Russian defenses
With this latest strike, Ukraine signals its continued focus on weakening Russia’s layered air defense network.
Such operations not only degrade enemy capability but also demonstrate Ukraine’s intelligence-gathering reach in occupied areas.
Claims await independent confirmation
As with many battlefield reports, third-party verification is pending.
But if confirmed, this strike reflects a potent combination of Ukrainian reconnaissance, special forces coordination, and targeted precision — all crucial in the ongoing war of attrition.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
