Direct proof of use
The 9S32M1 is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through reporting on a Russian S-300V radar struck in Donetsk region on January 5, 2026. Ukrinform reported that operators from Ukraine's 412th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade NEMESIS destroyed a Russian 9S32 radar station in Donetsk region, identifying it as a key component of the S-300V surface-to-air missile system.
UNITED24 Media identified the target as a Russian 9S32M1 and said the strike was confirmed by Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, through an official social-media statement. Defense Express separately reported that the target was the S-300V system's 9S32 engagement radar and that the strike was carried out by UAV operators from the 412th NEMESIS Brigade.
Sources: Ukrinform 9S32 Donetsk Strike, UNITED24 9S32M1 Radar Strike, Defense Express 9S32 Strike
Timeline
The public record for this specific radar in the conflict is concentrated in the full-scale invasion phase. Oryx's visually documented Russian equipment-loss list includes two 9S32M1 radars for S-300V systems among Russian radar losses, both listed as damaged. The January 2026 Donetsk reporting then tied a named Russian 9S32M1 or 9S32 engagement radar to a specific Ukrainian strike event.
Euromaidan Press reported on January 5, 2026 that Brovdi released strike footage and said the operation took place that day in Donetsk Oblast. UNITED24 published follow-on reporting on January 6, and Defense Express published its account on January 7, all describing the radar as part of Russia's S-300V air-defense system.
Sources: Oryx Russian Equipment Losses, Euromaidan Press 9S32M1 Strike, UNITED24 9S32M1 Radar Strike, Defense Express 9S32 Strike
Battlefield role
The radar's conflict role was air-defense tracking and missile guidance rather than missile launch. Defense Express described the 9S32 as both a target-detection and tracking radar and the missile-guidance station for S-300V, able to guide up to 12 missiles against six aerial targets. UNITED24 similarly described the 9S32M1 as a three-coordinate, multi-channel missile-guidance radar that coordinates engagements with S-300V launch and reload vehicles.
Background sources on the S-300V family explain why the radar is cataloged as a battery component. CSIS describes S-300V as the tracked S-300 branch with surface-to-air and anti-ballistic missile roles, while Missilery.info lists the 9S32-family multichannel missile-guidance station among the S-300V division's core elements alongside the command post, surveillance radars, launchers, and launcher-loaders.
Sources: Defense Express 9S32 Strike, UNITED24 9S32M1 Radar Strike, CSIS S-300 Missile Threat, Missilery S-300V System
