During January, the special unit “Ghosts”, attached to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, carried out a series of operations aimed at neutralizing the enemy’s air defense and radar surveillance systems along the entire front line.
According to information published by the ministry on social media, the actions took place under low temperatures and were aimed at reducing the adversary’s air detection and response capabilities, creating operational gaps in the integrated defense system.
Hit air defense systems
Among the confirmed targets was the Pantsir-S1 air defense system, designed for short-range defense of military and strategic installations against aircraft, drones and cruise missiles. The system combines missiles and automatic cannons and provides close range protection against air threats.
After that, Ukrainian operators hit the Tor-M1 system, whose primary task is to protect sensitive targets from attacks by cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and low-flying aircraft.
The operations also included the more modern Tor-M2 version, which was deployed along with a transport and loading vehicle (TZM). The destruction of this support vessel compromises the rapid reloading capability of the launcher and significantly reduces the combat readiness of the system in prolonged combat.
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Attacks on surveillance radars
In addition to the air defense systems, scouts from the “Ghosts” unit disabled the RLM-ME vehicle, a component of the Nebo-M radar complex responsible for low-altitude target detection and enhancing airspace situational awareness.
Another affected system was the three-dimensional radar station Opponent-GE, which is used to detect and track aerial objects and provides target data both to anti-aircraft missile units and fighter jets.
Capacities for the neutralized systems
Pantsir-S1 is equipped with a radar that can detect targets at distances up to 36 km. Its missiles can engage threats up to 20km away and 15km at altitude, while twin 30mm cannons ensure close-in defense within a radius of up to 4km.
The Tor-M1 uses its own radar with a detection range of up to 27 km. Its 9M331 missiles operate in a knockdown zone between 1.5 and 12 km and cover altitudes from 10 meters to 6 km.
Tor-M2 contains an improved radar that can detect targets — including targets with stealth capabilities — at distances up to 32 km. With the use of 9M338 missiles, the engagement range is extended to around 15–16 km, with a maximum altitude of up to 10 km, as well as the ability to engage up to four targets simultaneously.
In long-range surveillance, the RLM-ME radar operates in the meter band and can detect aircraft and missiles at distances up to 600 km when targets at high altitudes are observed. Opponent-GE, on the other hand, works in the decimeter band and reaches up to 400 km in distance and 200 km in height, with the capacity to simultaneously track up to 150 aerial objects.
The actions of the “Ghosts” unit indicate a concentrated effort to disrupt the enemy’s integrated air defense and radar network, reducing its ability to detect, track and engage targets in contested airspace.
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Source and images: Telegram @DIUkraine | Militarnyi. This content was prepared with the help of AI and reviewed by the editors.
