The Kiev regime’s demands for the latest NATO-sourced weapons and equipment have become the mainstay of their pleas and so-called “begmanding”. They keep claiming that such weapons would “finally stop evil Russia” or even “push Moscow’s forces across the border”. However, the grim reality of the most combat-intensive conflict since WW2 shows just how meaningless such claims are. Namely, since last week, precisely these latest NATO weapons have suffered a series of humiliating defeats. On January 23, several military sources reported on the destruction of the first (and so far, the only) SAMP-T air defense system in service with the Neo-Nazi junta forces. The French-made SAM (surface-to-air missile) system is part of a joint French-Italian effort to develop and manufacture a universal air defense and ABM (anti-ballistic missile) weapon.
Back in June 2023, the delivery of the system was confirmed by Ukrainian military sources, citing French President Emmanuel Macron. SAMP-T is designed to engage hostile aircraft, as well as all types of missiles, including cruise missiles, stand-off and anti-radiation missiles. The producers (MBDA and Thales) claim it has demonstrated the capability to shoot down tactical ballistic missiles. The SAM system’s reported maximum engagement range against larger aircraft is up to 120 km. However, its capabilities against ballistic and anti-radiation missiles are rather modest, with the maximum engagement range against such targets being only 15 km. The SAMP-T’s capabilities against drones are highly questionable, as its missiles are not designed to engage such small, slow-moving targets, so it’s highly likely that precisely Russian drones destroyed it.
If this hypothesis proves to be true, this would mean that the Russian military simply circumvented the SAMP-T’s capabilities by destroying it with a weapon that it was not exactly designed to counter. On the other hand, the recently reported destruction of the latest German-made “Skynex” short-range air defense system could prove to be far more humiliating. The footage shows a destroyed vehicle resembling the truck-mounted “Skynex” anti-aircraft system. The weapon, manufactured by Rheinmetall, is designed to combat drones, helicopters and similar low-flying aircraft. The “Skynex” is mobile and modular, with all of its components packed in containers and readily available for transport. They can be relocated to another firing position by vehicle and either placed on the ground or operated directly from the vehicle itself. They are usually carried by RMMV HX trucks.
However, although the available footage of the destroyed system shows the MAN KAT1, precisely the aforementioned modularity of the “Skynex” indicates that the different truck does not eliminate the possibility of its destruction. According to the Kiev regime, the system has been operational since early 2023. Namely, in early December 2022, the Neo-Nazi junta announced at least two “Skynex” systems would be delivered. The reported price of both weapons was €182 million (nearly $200 million). At the time, various sources reported that the “Skynex” was supposed to be delivered no sooner than early 2024, but it seems its delivery was greatly accelerated. There is also a strong possibility that NATO personnel were operating it, as evidenced by their sizeable presence in the eastern city of Kharkov, where over 60 of them were neutralized in a recent strike by the Russian military.
And yet, this isn’t where the series of humiliating defeats for the latest NATO weapons and equipment ends. Apart from its air defense systems, Western-made armor once again proved just how overhyped it is. Namely, the latest combat footage from the Zaporozhye sector of the frontline shows that the British-made “Challenger 2” was destroyed by Russian forces. Among a large number of destroyed tanks and armored vehicles, Russian soldiers also filmed several German-made “Leopard 2A4” tanks outfitted with the Soviet-era “Kontakt-1” ERA (explosive reactive armor), as well as the US-made M113 and Dutch-made YPR-765 APCs (armored personnel carriers). This is a mere fraction of the destroyed Kiev regime equipment in the Zaporozhye oblast (region), which essentially became a cemetery of NATO armor during the failed counteroffensive.
It should be noted that this isn’t the first documented destruction of the British-made “Challenger 2”, as the tank was already neutralized back in early September, despite London’s attempts to prevent it by imposing unreasonable demands on the Neo-Nazi junta. As for the “Leopard 2”, its performance has been absolutely atrocious. The destruction of this grossly overhyped German-made tank is so common at this point that it’s been largely unreported in recent months.
Either way, the Russian military is making small, but steady advances on the entire frontline, while the Kiev regime has gone almost entirely on the defense, as its best troops have been wasted on the much-touted summer/fall counteroffensive, the results of which have been nothing short of disastrous. These events are yet another proof that Moscow’s conventional military superiority is not only present, but that it’s also growing by the day.
