Moscow’s air defense system needs tightening, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, commenting on a drone attack on the capital that damaged three residential buildings and nearly blew up luxury residences near the Rublevo-Uspensky Highway.
Moscow’s air defense system worked “normally, satisfactorily, although there is work to be done”, Putin said nine hours after the raid, which was the largest since the beginning of the war.
“We faced the same problems at the Khmeimim airfield in Syria. <…> In general, it is clear what needs to be done to densify the capital’s air defense, and we will do it”, – the president added.
According to Putin, the attack was a response to a Russian military strike on the Ukrainian military intelligence headquarters, allegedly carried out “two or three days ago”.
“In response, the Kyiv regime has chosen the path of trying to intimidate Russia, intimidate Russian citizens, strikes on residential buildings. This, of course, is a clear sign of terrorist activity”, – Putin said,
Russia is also striking on Ukrainian territory, he admitted: “But with long-range precision weapons on military infrastructure, or on warehouses with ammunition or fuel and lubricants used for combat operations”.
The Russian Defense Ministry, as a reminder, claimed eight “aircraft-type” drones attacked the capital, all of which the agency claimed were neutralized. Five UAVs were shot down by the Pantsir system near Moscow, and three more were suppressed by means of electronic warfare, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
According to Baza, at least 25 drones were involved in the attack, 10 of which were shot down in the Moscow Region.
According to the mayor of Moscow, two people sought medical assistance after the drones hit three residential buildings – on Atlasov Street in New Moscow, on Profsoyuznaya Street in the Cheremushki district and at the intersection of Leninsky Prospekt and Udaltsova Street. On Leninsky Prospekt the UAV flew into an apartment on the 14th floor, but did not explode.
As Verstka notes, drones were also spotted in the Rublyovsky and Ilyinsky highway areas, where the residences of Russian officials are located. In addition, drones were shot down in the villages of Romashkovo and Razdory, which is less than 10 km from the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo.
Commenting on the attack, Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Defense Committee, said that one should not count on air defense systems in principle. “We have a very large country and there will always be a loophole where a drone can fly through, bypassing the air defense areas”, – he said.
