Russia claims 10 MiG-29s were shot down with S-400s in one day

The Russian military has claimed that in 2023 it used S-400 “Triumf” surface-to-air missile systems to shoot down ten Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets within a single day.

This was reported in an article published in the Russian Defense Ministry’s “Voyennaya mysl” journal. However, the figures cited have not been confirmed by Ukraine, and open sources also contain insufficient evidence to prove that ten aircraft were lost in one day.

What figures did the Russian publication cite?

The article was prepared with the participation of Major General Aleksandr Romanenkov, head of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ anti-aircraft missile troops.

It states that in 2023, the S-400 systems conducted combat firing against targets beyond the radar horizon for the first time.

According to the Russian side:

— ten MiG-29 fighters were shot down within a single day;
— a total of 24 Ukrainian military aircraft were destroyed over the course of one week;
— the exact types of some aircraft were not specified in the article.

These figures are not confirmed losses but information presented by a Russian military publication.

Earlier official reports cited different figures

In October 2023, a daily report distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry stated that seven Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft had been shot down in a single day.

That report said that a total of 12 aircraft—ten MiG-29s and two Su-25s—had been destroyed within one week.

A few days later, Sergey Shoygu, Russia’s defense minister at the time, announced that 24 Ukrainian aircraft had been shot down within five days.

Thus, the official figures published at different times do not fully match one another:

— first, seven MiG-29s in one day;
— 12 aircraft in one week;
— later, 24 aircraft in five days;
— while the new article reports ten MiG-29s in one day and 24 aircraft in one week.

These discrepancies indicate the need for additional independent confirmation regarding the exact date of the event, the types of targets and the number of losses.

How did the “beyond-the-horizon firing” work?

Because of the Earth’s curvature, a ground-based radar cannot always directly see an aircraft flying at low altitude over a long distance.

According to the method described in the Russian publication, the S-400 systems were deployed in an “ambush” position. After Ukrainian aircraft took off, the missile launchers moved forward to locations from which the targets could enter the firing zone.

Data from other radars or airborne long-range radar surveillance platforms may be used to strike a target beyond the horizon. In 2023, Russian military sources also wrote that the S-400 systems were used in conjunction with an A-50 long-range radar surveillance aircraft.

However, no technical evidence has been made public regarding exactly which aircraft were hit, where this happened or under what circumstances.

How far away can the S-400 hit a target?

The S-400 “Triumf” is a long- and medium-range air defense system that was accepted into service with the Russian army in 2007.

According to Rosoboronexport, the system can use various missiles, including the 40N6Е, 48N6Е3 and 9M96Е2. The maximum range of the export version for destroying aerodynamic targets is listed as up to 380 kilometers.

The system is designed to counter the following targets:

— fighter and bomber aircraft;
— airborne radar surveillance aircraft;
— reconnaissance and electronic warfare platforms;
— cruise missiles and some ballistic missiles.

However, the maximum range listed in catalogs does not mean that a target will be successfully hit from that distance under any combat conditions. Aircraft altitude, radar visibility, electronic warfare, the target’s maneuvering and external surveillance data all affect the outcome.

Has the loss of ten MiG-29s been confirmed?

The Ukrainian Air Force has not publicly confirmed losses of this scale in a single day.

The Oryx database, which tracks military equipment losses based on photographs and videos, records that Ukraine has lost or had damaged 38 MiG-29 aircraft since the start of the war. However, this database lists only cases for which open visual evidence is available and may not cover all actual losses.

Information from open sources does not independently confirm that the ten MiG-29s cited by Russia were shot down during the same day. At the same time, the absence of visual evidence does not automatically prove that the incident did not occur at all.

In wartime, both sides may conceal their own losses while overstating those of their adversary. Therefore, claims concerning expensive military equipment such as aircraft require confirmation through satellite imagery, aircraft numbers, information about pilots or several independent sources.

The Russian military also acknowledged that the tactic could not be repeated

The “Voyennaya mysl” article also noted that the Ukrainian side may have studied the new method of using S-400 systems.

According to the authors, once the “ambush” tactic has been analyzed by the enemy, it becomes more difficult to repeat the same high level of effectiveness.

Aircraft may:

— avoid approaching dangerous areas;
— operate at low altitude;
— attempt to detect S-400 launchers in advance;
— use long-range weapons while remaining far behind the front line.

For this reason, the Russian military considers it important not to keep long-range systems in one permanent location, but to rapidly deploy them to unexpected areas after aircraft take off.

A major result, but many questions remain open

The Russian military publication presents the use of S-400 systems in 2023 as a major success. If the claim that ten MiG-29s were shot down in a single day is confirmed, it would be one of the largest one-day aviation losses in modern warfare.

However, no aircraft numbers, locations of the incidents, satellite images or other independent evidence confirming the claim have been released so far.

Therefore, it would be more accurate to report the story not as the definitive fact that “Russia shot down ten MiG-29s in one day,” but as a claim that “a Russian military publication said such a result had been achieved.” Leave your opinion in the comments and share the article with your acquaintances and friends on Telegram or other social networks!