Footage released by Russian authorities is said to show a guided missile damaging a modern defense system in Ukraine. But there are doubts.
Kiev/Moscow – Representatives of Western ministries and Ukrainian secret services have once again denied Russian reports of success in the Ukraine war, which involved the destruction of modern Western weapons and defense systems. This time, the main focus of the controversy is the Iris-T-SLM air defense system.
The system is based on information from Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) one of two systems from a Baden-Württemberg manufacturer supplied by Germany to the Ukraine, which have been in use in the Ukraine since last October. The anti-aircraft system, according to a report by Tagesschau.de one of the most modern systems of its kind. The Iris-T system uses modern radar modules to detect air raids and shoot down the attacking devices. The entire equipment costs around 200 million euros per system.
Russian “attack” on Iris-T system in Ukraine: Many questions remain unanswered
Now Russia reported this week that Russian soldiers had identified one of the systems and had disabled an Iris-T radar module through a targeted attack with a so-called “Loitering Munition” attack system. This was then picked up by several media, citing Russian sources. Loitering Munitions are guided missiles that first approach and scout an area without a specific target, and then are programmed to attack from the ground.
When trying to confirm the Russian report, the SZ According to the report by the German Ministry of Defense, the only statement was that the Ministry had “no knowledge” that would indicate “that a radar of the Iris-T-SLM system was destroyed”. Ukrainian sources speak of “fake news” and denied the Russian report. The supported – such as the British Times reported – on alleged aerial photos that are supposed to show the incident.
Doubtful reports from Russia: The role of propaganda in the Ukraine war
In general, the media have repeatedly reported on controversial reports of the success of the war by the Russian authorities and military representatives – and in some cases have also clearly identified them as Russian war propaganda through research. For example, there had recently been reports that Russian soldiers had carried out successful attacks on Western Leopard tanks. At least some of them have already been exposed by experts as propaganda.
In the case of the Himars systems delivered by the USA to Ukraine, there had already been controversial Russian reports of success. In some cases, the background was probably that the Ukrainian troops apparently deliberately rely on deception maneuvers and use clever tricks to make the Russian attackers believe they are attacking Western systems, as the US newspaper said Washington Post reported. (saka)
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