Defense forces struck a Russian "Bastion" missile system in Crimea for the first time
Since the beginning of the year, Russian occupation forces have significantly stepped up their use of the "Bastion" coastal missile system to launch strikes against mainland Ukraine.
However, a recent operation by Ukrainian defenders in the temporarily occupied Crimea likely resulted in the first successful destruction of this scarce enemy system.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, emphasized on television that until 2026, such widespread use of “Bastions” was not typical for the invaders.
The occupiers are using the system to launch Zircon hypersonic missiles, attempting to compensate for a shortage of other ballistic weapons.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have seen widespread use of this very ‘Bastion’ system, which had not occurred before. The ‘Zircon’ is already a rather outdated missile, but it is supersonic, and from the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea, they typically use them deep into Ukrainian territory,” noted Dmytro Pletenchuk.
According to the Navy spokesperson, such attacks on Ukrainian cities occur on average once or twice a month.
The destruction of the launch site in Crimea is a significant event, as these mobile systems are extremely difficult to track due to their ability to quickly change positions.
“As far as I can tell, this is the first time such a system has been destroyed on Crimean territory, because it is quite difficult to carry out such operations. They move covertly, and tracking such a target is quite difficult,” the Navy representative reported.
As a reminder, on the night of March 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a Russian “Bastion” coastal missile system launcher.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces also struck Russian military facilities.
