Extremely low altitude downing of Ukrainian drone by Russian SAM caught on video

An intense video has emerged in Russia showing part of a Ukrainian drone attack, including the interception of one of the drones by what is likely to have been a Pantsir short-range air defense system. Footage showing the successful interception of Ukraine’s long-range one-way attack drones by Russian ground-based air defenses is not widely common, and this reinforces the challenge posed by these relentless Ukrainian attacks against Russian infrastructure and military facilities. Meanwhile, it is very much a textbook example of how a surface-to-air missile of this class can bring down targets even at very low level with limited response time.

The video in question, which began appearing on social media earlier today, was taken by a bystander who witnessed the drone strike, reportedly over the Smolensk region in western Russia. In the video, taken overnight, we can clearly hear the whirring engine of a Ukrainian drone, while flashes of nearby explosions illuminate the skies. We then see the rocket motor of a Russian surface-to-air missile moving from right to left and at a very low level. In fact, the missile is so low that the glare from its engine can be seen to illuminate nearby houses as it passes them. It then hits its target in a shower of sparks and burning debris.

The use of a surface-to-air missile in such close proximity to civilians and civilian infrastructure is remarkable, but also a measure of the desperate efforts being made to try to counter this kind of attack.

After a short pause, the noise of at least one other drone can be heard, indicating that this was an attack involving multiple drones.

Around the halfway mark in the video above, we see from below a Ukrainian dual-barreled drone as it flies low over a building, followed by an explosion. People then start spilling out of the building, apparently mainly fascinated by the engagements happening around them. Based on its appearance, the drone could be the same as the type which was especially used in an attack on Russian air defense in Crimea in September 2023. In particular, the pusher engine configuration and extended wing roots suit this drone, whose name remains undisclosed.

We cannot say for sure that the missile, as has been reported, was from a Pantsir short-range air defense system (SHORADS), although it would seem most likely. Armor has been widely deployed to defend critical infrastructure in Russia, including atop government buildings in Moscow, where they appeared in early 2023 after Ukraine demonstrated its ability to carry out longer-range attacks.

In the Pantsir-S1 wheeled configuration, primarily used to defend infrastructure, civil and military, the system is armed with up to six ready-to-launch 57E series cruise missiles and also has two 30mm automatic cannons. Crews use the system’s integrated radar and infrared sensor to target aerial threats. The missiles reportedly have a maximum range of about 11 miles and can hit targets at altitudes up to about 50,000 feet, although this is largely a best-case scenario and depends on the exact missile variant and threat profile. However, the system is primarily designed for low altitude, close to point defense. This includes cutting cruise missiles, tactical aircraft and air-to-surface munitions. Drones are also one of the main targets of Pantsir.

Reportedly, the target of last night’s Ukrainian drone strike video was the Smolensk Aviation Plant, which is operated by Tactical Missiles Corporation, Russia’s largest manufacturer of air-launched precision-guided munitions. Its portfolio includes a wide range of tactical air-to-ground missiles, as well as air-to-air missiles.

This would not be the first time the facility has been attacked, with a reported Ukrainian drone strike taking place in October 2023according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence Services (GUR). Reports of further attacks against the Smolensk Aviation Plant appeared in November of the same year.

For the past few days, Russian aerospace and munitions industries have been targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones.

On the night of Sunday, Ukrainian drones struck the Kazan Aircraft Plant in Kazan, about 700 miles from the front line in Ukraine. This facility is responsible for manufacturing, modernizing and maintaining Russian heavy bombers, including the Tu-160 Blackjack, the only aircraft of its class still in production in Russia. According to reports, the drone strike resulted in a fire at a fuel depot near the factory.

Attacks on Smolensk and Kazan, meanwhile, are part of a wider campaign directed by Kiev and aimed at degrading Russia’s ability to launch airstrikes against targets on Ukrainian territory.

In addition to aircraft and missile production and maintenance facilities, Ukrainian drones have also been sent against Russian air bases in recent weeks, including Engels, a long-range bomber base in the Saratov region of southern Russia. Here, a fuel depot appears to have been the intended target, with attacks against it on more than one occasion already this month.

Satellite images of the oil depot near Engels-2 air base on Sentinel became available. At least 8 tanks have burned out, but more are possible. We will have to wait for better satellite images to confirm the damage.

— CHRISTMAS REPORTS (@noelreports.com) 2025-01-18T16:33:39.714Z

Fuel depots elsewhere in Russia have also been targeted as Ukraine tries to deprive Russian fighter jets – and the wider armed forces – of vital oil, oils and lubricants. For some time now, Russia’s energy infrastructure has been a priority target for Kiev, but the apparent focus now on military-oriented objectives is notable.

To some extent, these tactics have likely been driven by Russia’s own efforts to protect its bombers on the ground, which has seen the aircraft increasingly dispersed to airfields further from the front lines. This is in addition to a number of decoys and other countermeasures installed on their regular bases. With this in mind, static production and maintenance facilities, as well as sprawling fuel farms, are much more reliable targets for Ukrainian drone strikes.

As for Russian efforts to stop the Ukrainian drones from getting through, these have, since the start of such Ukrainian raids, achieved mixed results. While official Russian accounts often claim a 100 percent success rate against drone strikes, there is mounting evidence of damage caused by those who do manage to get through.

Undoubtedly, Russian ground-based air defenses – as well as aircraft – are taking a toll on incoming Ukrainian drones. However, the footage captured over the Smolensk region last night provides a rare view from deep inside Russia of an apparently successful drone interception of a Russian point defense surface-to-air missile.

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