Russia lost at least four long-range missile launchers over past week – UK intelligence

The UK Defense Ministry said this in an intelligence update posted on the X social media platform, Ukrinform reports.

"Russia has likely lost at least four long range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launchers to Ukrainian strikes over the last week," the Defense Ministry said.

It added that on October 26, Russian media reported that three Russian SA-21 launchers had been destroyed in the Luhansk region, and Ukrainian sources reported additional Russian air defense losses in Crimea.

"Russia has long prioritized ample, high-tech, long range SAM systems as a key component of its military strategy. The recent losses highlight that Russia's Integrated Air Defense System continues to struggle against modern precision strike weapons and will highly likely increase the already significant strain on remaining systems and operators," the agency added.

The ministry believes that there is a realistic possibility that as Russia replaces the destroyed systems in Ukraine it will weaken its air defenses in other operational areas.