Ukrainian drones target Russian over-the-horizon radar station in Mordovia
Ukrainian drones struck the 590th separate radio-technical unit of the military base 84680, located in the Russian city of Kovylkino, Mordovia, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing sources in the Ukrainian Military Intelligence. Kovylkino houses the receiving part and the main equipment of the 29B6 "Container" over-the-horizon radar station (OTHR).
According to the publication's sources, this was a special operation by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
"The intended target of the UAV strike was the over-the-horizon radar 'Container' with a detection range of about 3,000 km and an elevation detection capability of over 100 km. The distance from the Ukrainian border to the site of impact is about 680 kilometers," wrote Ukrainska Pravda.
Eyewitnesses sent footage of the alleged attack to The Insider (the video has not been verified or geolocated):
The bi-coordinate over-the-horizon radar “Container” is part of the intelligence and early warning system for aerospace attack.
The decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated June 2, 2020, No. 355 "On the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence."
Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Ukrainian military intelligence. Chief – Major General Kyrylo Budanov.
The Missile Attack Warning System is a complex of specialized technical means for detecting ballistic missile launches, calculating their trajectories, and transmitting information to the command center. This information serves as the basis for recognizing a missile attack on the state and making a swift decision on retaliatory actions.
"Container" is part of the Missile Attack Warning System. According to the Russian Presidential decree, an attack on this is formally one of the conditions that define the possibility for the Russian Federation to use nuclear weapons:
"The conditions determining the possibility of the Russian Federation using nuclear weapons include: <...> an adversary's impact on critical state or military facilities of the Russian Federation, the incapacitation of which would disrupt the retaliatory actions of nuclear forces."
On April 11, Russian authorities reported that two UAVs were shot down in Mordovia. ASTRA discovered that both drones were brought down over military part 84680 on that occasion. A building that previously housed the command post was damaged.
The bi-coordinate over-the-horizon radar “Container” is also a part of the interception and early warning system against aerospace attack.
The Missile Attack Warning System comprises specialized technical means for detecting ballistic missile launches, tracking their trajectories, and conveying information to the command center. Based on this data, a state attack using missile weapons is recorded, and urgent decisions on retaliatory actions are commenced.