Ukraine destroys Russian S-400 system in Gelendzhik

On August 8 and 9, Ukraine's Defense Forces engaged in strikes against multiple Russian air defense systems, including the S-400 Triumf, Tor, and Pantsir-S1 systems, as per Robert Magyar Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. On the night of August 8 to August 9, Ukrainian forces targeted an S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system in Gelendzhik, located in Russia's Krasnodar Krai.

This system had fired six missiles at Ukraine between 9:25 a.m. and 12:51 p.m. on August 8. Brovdi also reported strikes on one oil tanker and two dry cargo vessels in the Black Sea.

Reports indicate that powerful explosions and a subsequent fire occurred in Gelendzhik on August 8, following which Ukraine's Defense Forces were accused of launching a drone attack. The monitoring channel Exilenova+ also claimed that drones belonging to Ukraine's Defense Forces were responsible for the assault on the Russian city.

Authorities in Krasnodar Krai subsequently declared a drone threat and closed beaches at Gelendzhik, Kabardinka, and Divnomorskoye rural districts. On August 3, Krasnodar Krai authorities reported seven deaths on a Gelendzhik beach when debris from a downed drone fell during a Russian air defense response.