Russia Building Up Defenses in Moscow After Strikes Hit Inside Borders
© Photos by SERGEY FADEICHEV/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images
In the main image, a Pantsir S-1 missile system is seen on the roof of the main building of the Russian Defense Ministry on March 1, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. The smaller picture shows Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the National Defense Control Center in Moscow, on December 21, 2022. Shoigu announced that Moscow will be updating its air defenses.
- Russia's defense minister announced plans to update Moscow's anti-missile defense systems.
- The announcement comes following multiple report of Ukraine striking targets within Russia's borders.
- Additionally, Shoigu said a division of coastal defense missile systems had been deployed to an island near Japan.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday announced plans to update anti-missile defense systems in Moscow.
"This year we will complete the modernization of the anti-missile defense systems of the city of Moscow," Shoigu said in an address to military officials, according to Agence France-Presse.
Moscow bolstering its defense systems comes after reports of Ukrainian drones allegedly entering inside Russia's borders. In late February, a drone crashed approximately 62 miles outside of Moscow, which a regional governor claimed was likely an attempt by Ukraine to strike civilian infrastructure. Around the same time, Russia's defense ministry also reported its forces had taken down two Ukrainian drones in southern Russia.
In early December, explosions were reported at two Russian air bases, which Russian officials later said was the result of Ukrainian drone strikes. A month later, pictures and videos began circulating on social media of what people said showed Pantsir-S1 air defense systems installed on the rooftops of several Moscow buildings.
More recently, a Russian government official on Tuesday alleged a Ukrainian drone targeted a major oil pipeline station in Russia's Bryansk region. Russia has also made multiple claims of Kyiv launching drone attacks at sites inside Crimea in recent weeks.
Ukraine does not claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia, but Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, told ABC News in January that he was "glad to see" the Russian air bases attacked in December. He also predicted that "deeper and deeper" strikes would come inside of Russia.
Agence France-Presse wrote that Shoigu called the development of air defense systems "one of the priorities" for Russia's military during his Wednesday address. He also reportedly said that an "air defense division brigade" would be formed that would be "trained and equipped with new generation S-350 air-to-ground missile systems."
According to a 2022 story by the Kremlin-operated news outlet Tass, the S-350 launcher is a new air defense system equipped with 12 surface-to-air missiles. It is said to be designed for hitting both aerodynamic and ballistic targets.
Reuters reported that Shoigu said during the same address to military brass that a division of Russia's Bastion coastal defense missile systems had been deployed to an island near Japan.
The systems were sent to Paramushir, which is part of the Kuril Islands chain in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Japan claims four other islands in the chain as part of its territory.
Shoigu said his country was strengthening defenses on the island due to the United States' military presence in the region.
"To contain Russia and China, the United States is significantly increasing its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, strengthening its political and military links with its allies, continuing to create a new American security architecture in this region," Shoigu said, according to Reuters.
Shoigu's statement came on the heels of a visit by China's leader Xi Jinping to Moscow, during which Xi publicly showed his country's continuing solidarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday in an unannounced visit to Kyiv. During a tour of the war-torn town of Bucha, Kishida said that "Japan will keep aiding Ukraine with the greatest effort to regain peace."
Newsweek reached out the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.
Related Articles
