Has Ukraine repurposed an obsolete air defense system for use against Russia?

Ukrainian ingenuity has played a big role in allowing Kyiv to punch above its weight against what was once considered the second-greatest military power in the world.

One of the best recent examples of how Ukraine is using the weapons that it has on hand came in the summer of 2023 when reports began to surface that Kyiv had repurposed obsolete Soviet-era air defense systems.

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Reports about Ukraine reengineering the S-200 air defense systems it still had in its stockpiles to hit ground targets first surfaced in July 2023 when an alleged video of the missile was published. 

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In the video, a missile that Forbes journalist David Axe explained was likely a V-860 or a V-880 from an S-200 was seen slamming into the ground somewhere in Bryansk Oblast. 

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There was no official confirmation from Ukraine regarding S-200’s use at the time, or that it was being converted into a ground attack weapon, but the move would have made a lot of sense. 

Axe wrote that converted S-200 missile systems could have been a “viable replacement” for the country’s ever-shrinking stockpiles of its Tochka ballistic missiles. 

Moreover, Axe added that the S-200 could have also been a good placeholder for Ukraine and its military forces while they waited for more long-range rockets from Western allies. 

The S-200 is a surface-to-air missile defense system according to Business Insider and the weapons payload weighs 7.5 tonnes and measures an impressive 36 feet long. 

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Popular Mechanics reported the S-200 missile system was retired from Ukraine’s arsenal over a decade ago but that it was believed Kyiv had kept three to four launch platforms. 

If true then it would lend credence to reports that Ukraine has been using the obsolete air defense system against Russian targets, reported Britain’s Ministry of Defense in its August 20th update on the war in Ukraine and the reports that Ukraine had been repurposing its remaining S-200 stock. 

“Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles are regularly hitting Moscow,” the ministry wrote. “In addition, there have also been increasing reports of SA-5 GAMMON missiles striking Russia.”

“This Soviet-era 7.5 tonne, 11-metre long weapon is retired from its air defence role in Ukraine’s inventory. However, it is now apparently being employed as a ground attack ballistic missile,” the ministry added. 

On August 19th, an S-200 missile system was allegedly used against Russia according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, which said it intercepted rockets bound for Crimea. 

"During the night on August 19, the Kyiv regime attempted to carry out a terrorist attack using an S-200 surface-to-air missile re-equipped into a strike weapon on the Crimean territory,” the ministry wrote based on a translation from the Russian News Agency (TASS). 

“Russia’s air defense capabilities timely detected and intercepted it in the air," ministry officials continued, adding that there were no casualties nor any damage on the ground. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense had reported another attack using S-200 missiles on August 12th, noting at that time that they were detected and intercepted.   

In October 2023, more evidence that Kyiv may have actually repurposed its remaining stock of S-200 systems for use against ground-based targets came in October 2023 according to the Bulgarian military news website Bulgaria Military. 

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A video shared on Telegram appeared to show what the poster called the footage from the first use of a repurposed S-200 system. However, it was a claim that could not be verified at the time.

Photo Credit: Telegram @supernova_plus