Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) have successfully struck the storage site of a Russian Iskander tactical missile system in occupied Crimea.
According to a report on Telegram, SSO units used FP-2 drones to hit Russian logistics and operational infrastructure in the occupied territories.
“In the village of Pasichne, in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the SSO targeted the storage location of the Iskander tactical missile system,” the report reads.
Powerful explosions were recorded at the site, as confirmed by a video released by the SSO, though Kyiv Post was unable to independently verify the footage.
The report also stated that the Rubicon unit’s remote piloting point in the village of Vysoke, in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, was destroyed. Several drones reached their targets.
From Feb. 9 to 14, Special Ops successfully hit more than 10 Russian military facilities, including personnel concentration sites, ammunition and fuel depots, and military vehicle parking areas.
“Special operations forces continue to carry out asymmetric actions to reduce Russia’s offensive potential,” the report added.
This is not the first time Ukraine has struck Iskander missile complexes. In early June 2025, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), in coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), carried out a precision strike on Russian ballistic missile forces in Bryansk Oblast, destroying at least one Iskander launcher.
The AFU General Staff reported that the operation targeted a unit from Russia’s 26th Missile Brigade near Klintsy, where Russian troops were reportedly preparing to launch missiles at Ukrainian cities, likely Kyiv.
One launcher was destroyed, and two others were believed damaged.
According to the open sources, the Iskander (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a Russian operational-tactical missile system, first introduced in 1999 and serially produced since 2005. It can launch surface-to-surface ballistic and cruise missiles, including:
Iskander-M: ballistic missiles with a publicly announced range of 500 km (310 miles), potentially up to 700 km (435 miles) with a nuclear or light conventional warhead.
Iskander-K: capable of firing R-500 (9M729) cruise missiles, similar to Russia’s Kalibr, with a range of up to 1,500-2,000 km (940-1,250 miles).
The Iskander system was first tested in combat during Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia.
Initially, Russian officials categorically denied using Iskander complexes in combat. However, in November 2011, the Voice of Russia reported that authorities acknowledged deploying Iskander missiles against Georgia, highlighting their high efficiency and “status as one of the most accurate and powerful weapons in Russia’s arsenal.”
Russia frequently launches Iskander missiles from border regions such as Bryansk and Kursk toward Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Military Portal, since the start of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, Iskander-M ballistic and cruise missiles have been fired daily from Belarusian territory. These strikes likely targeted Ukrainian airfields at the outset of the invasion.
While Ukraine’s advanced air defense systems - including Patriot, NASAMS, IRIS-T, and S-300 - have intercepted many missiles, the Iskander’s speed and maneuverability make it difficult to shoot down.
Moreover, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat revealed last year that Russia had upgraded its Iskander-M missiles.
The modernized systems now follow a quasi-ballistic trajectory and can deploy radar decoys during their final approach, making interception significantly more difficult.
Ihnat revealed that the missiles’ mid-air maneuvers and radar traps complicate calculations for interception systems, including the US-made Patriot.