# Ukraine Says Drone Campaign Has Hit 300 Russian Air-Defense and Radar Systems in 2026

*Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 12:05 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-19T12:05:41.084Z (3h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Eastern Europe
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/18288.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces say Operation “PPOpad” has, with video confirmation, destroyed or damaged 300 Russian air-defense, radar and electronic-warfare systems in 261 days of 2026, including a Buk system and an 80P6 radar.

Ukraine is putting a headline number on its effort to wear down Russian air defenses.

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said on 19 September that Operation “PPOpad” has reached 300 Russian air-defense, radar and electronic-warfare systems destroyed or hit during 261 days of 2026. The command said this tally is backed by video confirmation.

According to the breakdown, the 300 claimed targets include 162 air-defense systems, 124 radar systems and 14 electronic-warfare systems. Another 26 systems were reported hit between 10 and 18 September in occupied Ukrainian territory and inside Russia. The 300th target was described as a Buk system, a medium-range surface-to-air missile platform that forms part of Russia’s layered air-defense network.

These figures are Ukrainian claims and have not been independently verified, but they align with a visible shift in Kyiv’s focus toward degrading the infrastructure that shields Russian troops and logistics. Ukrainian officials say the count only includes systems with clear visual evidence of damage, suggesting that temporarily disabled or unconfirmed strikes are not part of the public total.

In a related update, Ukrainian forces said they had struck Russian UAV command posts in the areas of Luhanske and Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, as well as near Volodymyrivka, Verbove, Novoprokopivka, Dobropillia and Rivnopillia in Zaporizhzhia region. Two command posts were reported hit around Novoprokopivka. Ukraine also said the Vostochny training ground, a logistics depot and an ammunition depot were struck, and confirmed that a 17 September attack damaged an 80P6 radar in Russia.

For Russian air-defense crews, radar operators and electronic-warfare teams, this kind of campaign turns their own systems into priority targets. Assets that once sat behind the front line are now being hunted by long-range drones and other munitions that can home in on emissions or pre-mapped positions. Every destroyed or damaged radar makes it harder to spot incoming Ukrainian strikes.

On the Russian side of the ledger, there are signs of adaptation. Reporting from the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan says Russia is building about 42,000 square meters of underground production space for Geran (Shahed-type) kamikaze drones, and has added dozens of anti-drone net towers around the site. That construction reportedly accelerated after the first Ukrainian strikes on Alabuga and suggests Moscow is trying to keep its own unmanned attack capability resilient while Ukraine targets its defenses.

How far Ukraine’s claimed 300-system milestone has shifted the balance in the air will become clearer over time. Indicators include changes in Russian aircraft loss rates, visible gaps in Russian coverage on the front line, and further evidence from satellite imagery and battlefield video that confirms or contradicts the strike list Kyiv has put forward.