Ukrainian intelligence destroys Valdai radar near Moscow: expert explains how

He stated this on Espreso TV.

“The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, in addition to gathering intelligence, also takes an active part in delivering significant strikes on enemy territory by destroying Russia’s industrial, production, and intellectual potential. These strikes target the most vulnerable points of Russia’s economy, particularly in areas such as the development of new weapon systems. For instance, two Russian Valdai radar complexes, designed for detecting and countering small-sized targets, have been hit,” Riabykh pointed out.

According to the military expert, the Valdai radar system was first presented at the Russian Army Forum in 2018 as a modern system designed specifically to combat unmanned aerial systems. Besides detection, this system is capable of countering identified targets by jamming control channels and altering coordinates, rendering the targets ineffective and preventing them from reaching the protected objects.

“The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine has utilized its capabilities. It is not yet disclosed what exactly caused the damage, but there are no signs that it was done by drones—though that cannot be ruled out. There are several possible ways the systems could have been destroyed. One is through local activists infiltrating the sites and planting explosives. Another possibility is the use of drone systems. The Defense Intelligence’s resources and capabilities enable it to strike not only from Ukrainian territory but also using assets within Russia. There have been hints and evidence of this in the past,” Riabykh explained.

The Defense Express development director added that the destruction of two powerful Valdai complexes, which the Russians had not yet deployed to protect their troops, is a significant outcome.

“More importantly, these complexes had not yet been officially adopted for service. They were still undergoing the necessary procedures. Therefore, we hope the enemy will not receive these systems anytime soon,” Riabykh emphasized.

• On the night of February 7, an explosion occurred at a military facility in the Moscow region of Russia, destroying two state-of-the-art radar complexes.