Russia installed an anti-aircraft defense system in Moscow

THE WAR IN UKRAINE – Has the war turned in such a way that Moscow fears reprisals right in the heart of its territory? While Ukraine’s allies meet this Friday, January 20 in Ramstein, Germany, to discuss the weapons they will provide, Russia appears to be preparing for an attack.

Various OSINT specialists (open source investigation, namely from pictures and documents available on the Internet) have been able to confirm in the last few hours that anti-aircraft defense equipment has been installed on the roof of the Russian capital, however it is 500 kilometers away. from the front line. A piece of news that Moscow has denied for now, although local media – aligned with the Kremlin – are relaying the information.

However, as revealed by several reference accounts and media, the Pantsir-S1 type battery was actually installed on top of the main Defense building as well as the Moscow District Department of Education building, near the Kremlin. The others were eventually seen and filmed on the outskirts of “Rublevka”, the wealthy western suburb of the capital where Vladimir Putin lives.

Fear of drone attacks

A maneuver that is far from trivial because the Pantsir-S1 is a formidable machine. This is a heavy vehicle equipped with several weapons, and therefore the Russian authorities needed to deploy a gigantic crane to lift this heavily armed truck to the roof of the building.

However, by looking at the capabilities of such machines, it is difficult to see in such a maneuver anything other than the anticipation of a possible – albeit unlikely – attack. Indeed, the Pantsir-S1 is mainly used against combat aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles. And potentially against long-range drones, such as those recently successfully tested by Ukrainian troops.

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Avoid being surprised

The devices are capable of striking thousands of kilometers from their starting point, and are therefore mostly capable of reaching Moscow from areas under Ukrainian control. In this case, it was thanks to the drones that Kyiv tried, in December, to carry out strikes on enemy bases deep inside Russian territory. At that time, Engels air base, 600 kilometers from the border, was targeted.

Therefore, as written by Guardian, the question is what is Russia actually preparing for? Is this just a show of force in the context of the Ramstein summit, a game driven by the paranoia of the Kremlin leaders, or a response to a real threat from Ukraine?

” This means that the force fully understands the current risks and it knows full well that an attack on Moscow and its territories is only a matter of time.deep analysis Guardian Alexander Kots, pro-Moscow Russian journalist. They were right to prepare ahead of time rather than wait for the first strike. »

An accusation denied by Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, returned the ball to the military. “ They are responsible for ensuring the security of the country in general and the capital in particular, so it is best to check with the Ministry of Defense about all measures being taken. “, he said this Friday, January 20 during a press conference. Which ministry has not yet commented.

Russian threat

The installation of these anti-aircraft batteries came whatever happened as a series of conflicts in which Moscow has redoubled attacks on civilian targets, for example killing dozens of people in a residential building on the Dnipro. Perhaps because Russia is afraid of being targeted in this way by a country that was invaded last February, in “ special operation » which he imagined would be successfully completed in three days?

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While the West is contemplating sending heavy tanks and Kyiv has acquired advanced anti-missile systems, Moscow is genuinely afraid to see Ukraine regain control in the face of its invasion. ” The defeat of a nuclear power in the context of a nuclear war can degenerate into a nuclear war “, For example, recently warned Dmitry Medvedev, former president and Prime Minister of Russia who is now in a high position in the Russian Security Council.

One thing is certain: the installation of this anti-aircraft defense system is contrary to several parties recent comments by Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Defense of Russia. ” Ukraine deploys its air defense systems in populated areas contrary to all laws of war and humanity “, he recently accused. A way of saying that Ukraine, by installing such a system in an area inhabited by civilians, is trying to accuse their enemy of targeting the population if he tries to destroy it. And Russia ended up doing exactly the same thing.

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