Ukraine 'wipes out 100 Russian soldiers in single strike on air defence system'

By WILL STEWART and OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 14:36, 21 May 2026 | Updated: 14:38, 21 May 2026 Ukraine wiped out around 100 Russian soldiers in a single strike that destroyed a Russian air defence system in occupied Kherson region, according to reports. Footage appeared to show dramatic explosions ripping through a multi-storey building after drones launched by Kyiv's SBU security service struck in the occupied territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation destroyed a Pantsir-S1 air defence system as well as hitting a headquarters used by officers from Russia's FSB security service. 'Thanks to this operation alone, Russian losses amount to around 100 occupiers killed and wounded,' Zelensky said. 'The Russians must feel that they have to end this war of theirs.' He vowed more strikes deep into Putin's territory if the Kremlin refuses to talk peace. 'Ukrainian medium- and long-range sanctions will continue to work,' he said. Telegram channel Ukraine Context dubbed the attack 'carpet bombing' of the FSB HQ in Kherson region. Ukraine wiped out around 100 Russian soldiers in a single strike that destroyed a Russian air defence system in occupied Kherson region, according to reports Footage appeared to show dramatic explosions ripping through a multi-storey building after drones launched by Kyiv's SBU security service struck in the occupied territory Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation destroyed a Pantsir-S1 air defence system as well as hitting a headquarters used by officers from Russia's FSB security service 'Result: around 100 Russians - killed and wounded. Operation carried out by the SBU's Alpha unit. Simply Armageddon.' The famed Russian Pantsir-S1 system - used to guard Putin's multiple palaces - failed to halt the strike and was itself destroyed. There was no initial response from Russian sources to the strike. It comes as an expert revealed Ukraine's barrage of long-range drone strikes on Russia shows the war is increasingly swinging in Kyiv's favour.  A wave of almost 600 Ukrainian drones attacked Russia overnight on Sunday, killing four people, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the barrage as 'entirely justified' retaliation for Moscow's relentless attacks on Ukraine.  Russia's defence ministry said air defences shot down 556 drones across the country overnight, followed by another 30 after dawn.  Stretching up to 700 miles from the Ukrainian border, the barrage was one of the largest Ukrainian strikes of the war to date, reportedly hitting military and infrastructure targets including a Russian navy vessel. In recent weeks, Ukraine has stepped up drone strikes on Russian territory as Kyiv increasingly relies on domestic weapons production.  Keir Giles, a Russia analyst at Chatham House, said the attacks showed Ukraine was gradually gaining the strategic upper hand.  Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: 'The drone strikes on Russia will not win the war on their own, but they are one indication among many at the moment that the advantage in the war is swinging back Ukraine's way.'  'Ukraine is exploiting the fact that Russia is a big place, and it is not possible to defend everything within Russia in a meaningful manner.  'Even if Russia were to dedicate as much effort and resources to air defence as Ukraine has been forced to do under the relentless Russian bombardment, they would still not be able to protect all of the vital facilities that Ukraine is now targeting.'  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.