Fighters of the Buk air defense system told about their combat work in the special operation zone

Russian Buk-type heavy air defense systems are operating under the cover of a support group on an armored personnel carrier (APC) while carrying out combat missions in the special operation zone for the defense of Donbas. This was told to "Izvestia" on December 26 by fighters of the Russian air defense forces.

It is specified that the Buk is accompanied on combat duty by a group of five fighters moving on a multi-purpose light armored tractor-tractor transport (MTLB). One soldier works directly on the air defense system, while the other four are nearby and monitor the sky with detectors and binoculars. In addition, each of them is carrying small arms.

According to the platoon commander with the call sign Oper, the Russian military, upon seeing a target, first take precautions to protect their own equipment. "Buk" begins to work only after the fighters have made sure that there are definitely no FPV drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) nearby.

"There is no bad weather for air defense. What we see through the viewfinder with our eyes, then, of course, we will shoot it all down," Opper told Izvestia correspondent Alexander Fedorchak.

The squad commander with the call sign Kasper pointed out that the Russian military uses radar equipment to track enemy drones. Such equipment detects a drone and checks whether it is Russian or Ukrainian. If it turns out that it belongs to the AFU, the drone is reported to a higher command and then the target is destroyed.

In Russia, December 26 is celebrated as the Day of Troop Air Defense.

"The army is commanded by me and the sergeant!"

How fighters of the "Center" group prepare for assault operations

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the calculation of the newest anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) "Gibka-S" of the group of troops "Center" destroyed a combat hexacopter of the AFU in the Krasnoarmeysk direction. While on duty, the fighters detected an enemy drone that was approaching Russian positions. The anti-aircraft gunners used a Verba missile with a fragmentation-fugitive warhead and destroyed the AFU drone at a distance of about 2.5 kilometers.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by the Russian president on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region.

For more current video and details on the situation in Donbass, see Izvestia TV channel.