Ukraine’s Alpha special forces have reportedly destroyed over £4 billion worth of Russian military equipment, including more than 1,500 tanks, almost 3,000 armored vehicles, and 2,655 artillery systems. The elite unit, celebrated its 31st anniversary last week, and President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the celebrations, awarding the unit with state honors.
According to Zelensky, “Only on your account and only since the full-scale invasion, the full-scale defence of our state, there is already more than US$5.5 billion worth of destroyed Russian military equipment – tanks, combat vehicles, electronic warfare systems, and other equipment.”
He added that this estimate does not take into account the results of the unit’s “Spiderweb” operation. Zelensky praised the special forces, saying, “The special forces of the Security Service are consistently among the top three most effective units of our Defence and Security Forces of Ukraine in terms of destroyed equipment and enemy.”
In the last two weeks alone, the unit has destroyed 39 tanks, 14 air defense systems, and 17 ammunition depots. The SBU units also attacked the Kirovsk military airfield in Crimea with drones, destroying Mi-8, Mi-26, and Mi-28 attack helicopters, and a Pantsyr-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system. Local residents reported five or six explosions coming from the airfield as a fire broke out, which quickly spread to cover a large area of the airbase.
Additionally, Ukrainian drones hit the Marinovka airfield in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast, destroying two SU-34 supersonic fighter-bombers and damaging two more. These recent attacks demonstrate the unit’s continued effectiveness in targeting Russian military assets.
The destruction of such a large amount of military equipment is a significant blow to the Russian military, which has already suffered substantial losses since the start of the invasion.
According to the Ukrainian military’s General Staff, Russia has lost thousands of tanks, artillery systems, and other vehicles. The Ukrainian government has claimed that over one million Russian troops have been killed or injured since the start of the invasion.
The loss of such a large quantity of equipment will likely have a significant impact on Russia’s ability to wage war in Ukraine. The destruction of air defense systems and fighter-bombers will also give Ukraine a significant advantage in the skies. As the conflict continues, it remains to be seen how Russia will respond to these losses and whether they will be able to recover from the blows dealt by Ukraine’s special forces.