S-300 missile system division and Bayraktar drones destroyed in Ukraine

The Russian Air Force destroyed a division of S-300 missile system and downed Turkey's Bayraktar drones in Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said.

Russian warplanes destroyed a division of S-300 air defense missile systems in Ukraine, Major General Igor Konashenkov, the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Russian operational-tactical, army and drone aircraft hit 46 military facilities in just a day. These are 11 surface-to-air missile systems, including S-300 missile system division, one multiple launch rocket system installation, three command posts, one electronic warfare station, seven ammunition depots and 18 places of military equipment accumulation," the ministry said.

Earlier, Konashenkov reported that communication, intelligence, relay and switching nodes in the settlement of Vinnitsa had been disabled in a strike with the use of high-precision long-range weapons targeting Ukraine's objects of military infrastructure.

Russia downs Ukraine's Bayraktar combat drone

The Russian Defense Ministry also published photos of a Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The drone was shot down in the sky over the Kiev region. 

The photos, which the ministry published, show the profoundly deformed wreckage of the drone. The manufacturer's marking on the preserved parts of the drone are still visible.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation previously reported the destruction of 12 Ukrainian UAVs, including three Bayraktar TB2 drones that the Russian forces shot down in the past 24 hours. As many as 172 Ukrainian UAVs have been destroyed so far during the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

In April 2021, Ukraine agreed to purchase a batch of Bayraktar drones from Turkey. In September 2021, it was announced that a UAV data service center would be built in the Kiev region. At the end of October, Ukraine used Bayraktar in Donbas combat operations for the first time.

In early February 2022, the Kiev authorities again announced plans to launch the production of Turkish combat drones. At the same time, Turkey continued to supply Ukraine with UAV data even after Russia launched the military operation in Ukraine.

Russia started the military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine on February 24. President Putin warned other countries not to interfere as Russia's response would be imminent and powerful.