Ukraine's military intelligence confirms Group 13 destroyed Russian Bastion missile system in occupied Crimea
Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) confirmed that its special unit "Group 13" destroyed a Russian Bastion coastal missile system in occupied Crimea in August 2026. The system had been used to launch Zircon and Oniks missiles against Ukraine. Two fuel trucks and a command-staff vehicle were also hit during the same operation. HUR released combat footage on 4 September.
Key points
- HUR confirmed the destruction of a Russian Bastion coastal missile system in occupied Crimea.
- The strike was carried out by the HUR special unit "Group 13".
- The operation took place in August 2026; combat video was released on 4 September 2026.
- Bastion was used by Russia to launch Zircon (hypersonic) and Oniks (supersonic) missiles against Ukraine.
- During the same operation, Group 13 also destroyed or damaged two fuel trucks and a Russian command-staff vehicle.
- Ukraine's Naval Forces first reported a Bastion hit in Crimea on 16 August.
Why it matters
Bastion is a long-range coastal missile system with a strike range of 300–600 km that Russia uses to fire supersonic Oniks and hypersonic Zircon missiles at Ukraine. Destroying one degrades Russia's ability to strike Ukrainian territory from Crimea and shows that Ukrainian special units can conduct precision operations deep inside the occupied peninsula.
What happened
HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence, verified and confirmed that the Bastion coastal missile system used by Russia in occupied Crimea was destroyed by fighters of the HUR special unit "Group 13." The operation took place in August 2026; HUR published footage of the combat work in its Telegram channel on 4 September. In addition to the Bastion itself, Group 13 destroyed or damaged two fuel trucks and a command-staff vehicle of Russian forces on the peninsula. Ukraine's Naval Forces had first reported a Bastion hit in Crimea on 16 August, ahead of HUR's confirmation.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources covering the strike are Ukrainian. They centre HUR and the Group 13 special unit as the verified source of the operation, framing the destruction of Bastion as confirmation of a successful long-range special operation in occupied Crimea. Coverage highlights Bastion's role as a carrier of Zircon and Oniks missiles striking Ukraine and presents the hit as a reduction in Russia's ability to attack Ukrainian territory.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the timing of the operation: one specifies August 2026, another refers only to August without giving a year, and other reports within the source set mention August without specifying the year.
Background
The Bastion (3K55) entered Russian service in 2010 after development that began in the 1980s. It exists in two variants — the mobile Bastion-P and the stationary Bastion-S with silo launchers — and has a deployment time of up to 5 minutes. It is designed to defend coastlines and strike surface and land targets, with detection ranges of up to 250 km in passive mode and 450 km in active radar mode. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has used Bastion to hit land targets in Ukraine as well as naval targets. Ukraine's Naval Forces first reported a Bastion hit in Crimea on 16 August; HUR released combat footage on 4 September.