Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence said Group 13 hit two Russian S-400 Triumf launchers and an Orion drone-control antenna in temporarily occupied Crimea during the early August 2026 operation tied to Putin's Palace. The strike landed after a separate attack on an S-400 position in Gelendzhik, adding pressure on the same system Russia still uses against Ukraine.
Crimea strike by Group 13
On August 10, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence said specialists from its Group 13 unit carried out the operation using Magura naval platforms carrying FPV drones. HUR said the losses from the Crimea strike could reach tens of millions of dollars.
The hit on the S-400 Triumf matters because Russia’s own forces continue to use the system in attacks against Ukraine. Ukraine’s Air Force said as early as January 2023 that Russian forces were firing S-300 and S-400 missiles at ground targets, and during Russia’s overnight attack on August 7–8, 2026, Russian forces launched Iskander-M ballistic missiles and S-400 surface-to-air guided missiles at Ukraine alongside 151 attack and decoy drones.
Gelendzhik and the same system
The Crimea strike came one day after Ukrainian drones hit another Russian S-400 position in Gelendzhik, Krasnodar region, and destroyed one launcher. That sequence shows the same Russian air-defense network under pressure in more than one place, with the strike pattern reaching from Crimea to the Black Sea coast.
Group 13 also targeted an antenna used to control Russia’s Orion reconnaissance-and-strike UAV. The Orion is produced by Russia’s sanctioned Kronstadt group, can carry up to 250 kilograms of payload, and has an operating radius of up to 250 kilometers, or up to 300 kilometers when using a relay.
Russia’s air defense under strain
The S-400 Triumf is Russia’s long-range mobile surface-to-air missile system, built to destroy aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles and to counter some ballistic missile threats. It relies mainly on missiles from the 48N6 family, while the longer-range 40N6 interceptors extend its reach to as much as 400 kilometers.
That same system now sits on both sides of the battlefield: Russia uses S-400 missiles against Ukraine, while Ukraine is striking Russian S-400 positions in Crimea and Gelendzhik. The open question is which exact site in Gelendzhik was hit and whether it was part of the guard for Putin’s holiday home, which the source does not explain.
