Ukraine has begun using a new air defence system to counter Russia’s S8000 ‘Banderol’ missiles. This was reported by the Brave1 press service.
The system was developed by one of the cluster’s participants. According to Brave1, the cost of shooting down ‘Banderols’ with the system is significantly lower than the cost of the Russian missile-drones themselves. However, Brave1 has not disclosed the system’s operating principle or technical specifications.
Brave1 noted that, in addition to this system, there are several other products capable of countering ‘Banderols’.
‘Banderol’ is a hybrid of a kamikaze drone and a missile. It is 5 m long, has a wingspan of 2.2 m, and a diameter of 30 cm. According to the Oboronka publication, the ‘Banderol’ can fly up to 500 km. It has a fragmentation high-explosive warhead weighing, according to various sources, between 114 and 150 kg.
Attacks using ‘Banderols’ began back in March 2025 in Odesa Region. In June and July 2026, Kharkiv Region was hit most frequently. On 8 July 2026, a ‘Banderol’ strike was recorded on a five-storey residential building in the Nemyshlianskyi district of Kharkiv. On 7 August 2026, Odesa was attacked during the day with three ‘Banderols’. Air defence forces shot down two of them over the sea, while one hit the roof of the Chornomorets stadium in the city centre. ‘Banderols’ have also begun targeting Kyiv — the first strike during a combined Russian attack was on 15 June this year. In Dnipro, on the night of 25 August, a ‘Banderol’ strike damaged the Karavan shopping and entertainment centre.
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