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Video footage documenting the launch of a missile from one of Ukraine’s Soviet-made S-200 long-range air defense systems surfaced online on July 10, just days after Poland confirmed it had supplied additional systems of this type to Kyiv.
The video shows the launch of a massive 5V28 missile from the system’s 5P72V launcher. While the exact location and date of the footage remain unclear, it confirms that at least one of Ukraine’s S-200 systems remains operational.
Ukraine reactivated its remaining S-200 systems shortly after the start of the Russian special military operation in 2022. By 2023, Ukraine had begun using a modified version of the 5V28 missile for ground-attack roles, including attempted strikes on Russian territory such as the Kerch Bridge. In 2024, the country claimed to have employed upgraded S-200 missiles against Russian aerial targets.
The 5V28 missile measures approximately 10.8 meters in length, weighs 7–8 tons at launch, and carries a substantial 217–220 kg fragmentation warhead.
Originally designed with semi-active radar guidance for engaging high-altitude aircraft, the missiles have reportedly undergone modifications including updated guidance systems—potentially incorporating GPS-aided inertial navigation or new seekers. These upgrades allow for ballistic trajectories against surface targets or long-range intercepts of up to 250–300 kilometers.
The missiles are powered by four solid-fuel boosters for initial launch, followed by a liquid-fueled sustainer motor. They continue to be fired from fixed 5P72V launchers, as seen in the latest footage.
In ground-attack mode, the S-200 functions as an improvised quasi-ballistic missile. However, it has proven to lack accuracy and is relatively easy to intercept.
The footage emerged just four days after Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz acknowledged during a military aid briefing that Warsaw had transferred at least some of its S-200 systems to Ukraine. No specific details were provided.
A 2025 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) noted that Ukraine had already received at least one S-200 system and 20 missiles from Poland in 2013. Until recently, Poland had kept its remaining S-200 systems deployed along the Baltic Sea coast for long-range air defense.
This serves as a stark example of how NATO’s defensive capabilities have been depleted in support of Ukraine, which has failed to employ these systems effectively.
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this is nicknamed “the orc shredder”…heheheh