Anti-aircraft missile systems have been spotted across Moscow, including on the roof of the Russian Defense Ministry, this week amid concerns over Ukraine’s ability to strike deep within Russian territory.
Videos and photos circulating online Thursday showed what appears to be a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air system being installed on top of an administrative building and the Defense Ministry headquarters in central Moscow.
On Friday, reports emerged that another likely Pantsir-S1 system had been spotted 10 kilometers from President Vladimir Putin’s official residence outside Moscow this month.
They follow sightings of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems at a national park and a testing ground in north and northeastern Moscow.
The reported Pantsir-S1 and S-400 deployments follow a series of damaging drone strikes hundreds of kilometers within Russian territory last month. Moscow blamed Kyiv for the attacks, while Kyiv has not officially commented on the incidents.
The Kremlin on Friday referred questions over the alleged missile system deployments at the five locations across the Russian capital to the Defense Ministry.
“They’re responsible for the security of the country as a whole and the capital in particular,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Experts have warned that Moscow has been left exposed to potential Ukrainian strikes after it moved its air defense systems closer to Ukraine following the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion of its neighbor.
