‘Angry’ Vladimir Putin has pulled one of his air defences from the front line to protect Moscow following a barrel of Ukrainian drone attacks.
The Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system has been installed on a tower just a few hundred metres from the Russian capital’s Kapotnya oil refinery.
Kyiv has stepped up its drone strikes on Russia in recent months, hitting oil refineries that fund Moscow’s war chest.
The decision to move the defence system to the capital comes as the capital’s three rings of air defence have proven to be vulnerable to Ukrainian drone attacks, which comes as a humiliating blow to Putin.
On Monday, a spate of drone attacks caused all four major Moscow airports to suspend operations.
And last week, scores of drones targeted the capital city, sparking fires in and around Moscow and forcing evacuations from its Sheremetyevo airport.
According to experts, Russia’s outdated air defence network, which was designed to counter aircraft and conventional missiles, has struggled to adapt to Ukraine’s long-range drones.
The cabin of the new Pantsir defence system is protected by a metal cage, a feature usually seen on systems deployed near the front line to defend against short-range strike drones, per The Telegraph.
Ukrainian defence experts say this suggests that the launcher was moved from the combat zone within Ukraine.
Images online also show the system with only two of the standard six launch missiles pictured on one side, suggesting there may be a shortage of interceptors.
Moscow is shielded by more than 100 air-defence launchers and 50 Pantsir mobile air-defence systems, according to Ukraine’s top commander, Robert Brovdi.
