After pictures of missile defense systems on multiple Moscow rooftops went viral on social media on Friday, the Kremlin declined to confirm whether Russia was ready to attack the capital.
This week, anti-aircraft missile systems were seen all across Moscow amid worries that the Ukraine could launch an attack deep within Russian territory.
Online images and videos posted on Thursday appeared to show the Defense Ministry’s main office in Moscow’s center having a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile system mounted on top of it.
A possible Pantsir-S1 system was reportedly discovered 10 kilometers from President Vladimir Putin’s official house in Novo-Ogaryovo, outside of Moscow, on Friday.
An air defense system called Pantsir-S1 is made to defend against a range of weaponry, such as aircraft and ballistic and cruise missiles.
These sightings come after reports of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems at a park and a test site in northern and northeastern Moscow.
On Twitter, security specialist Michael Horowitz suggested that Russia might be worried about “Ukrainian assaults against Moscow” or that it would wish to emphasize the possibility of such attacks.
Moscow has claimed that Ukrainian forces are responsible for drone assaults on military facilities located well inside Russian territory.
Western allies of Ukraine met on Friday for a significant summit to vote on a new round of military help for the nation racked by civil war.
Putin sent soldiers to Ukraine in February of last year, but the Russian army has since seen a series of military setbacks there.
Following a slew of destructive drone attacks last month that occurred hundreds of kilometers inside Russian territory, Pantsir-S1 and S-400 deployments are reportedly underway. Moscow charged that Kiev was behind the attacks, although Kiev has made no formal statements regarding them.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, deferred inquiries about whether Russia was concerned that Moscow would be a target to the defense ministry.
It is preferable to inquire with the defense ministry about the steps taken because they are in charge of safeguarding the security of the nation in general and the capital in particular, Peskov said.
An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by the ministry.
After its neighbor’s invasion on February 24, 2022, Moscow shifted its air defense systems closer to Ukraine, according to experts, leaving it vulnerable to potential Ukrainian strikes.
