Ukraine’s Missile Strike Fright Pushes Russia to Erect Pantsirs over Moscow Rooftops

Fear of Ukrainian missiles blitzing over capital Moscow has forced Russia to deploy Pantsir-S1 air defense systems on the top of several defense and administrative buildings.

The Pantsir short-to-medium-range systems are used to defend against aircraft including drones, helicopters, and cruise missiles.

Social media was abuzz with photographs and videos being shared showing these systems deployed on high-rise buildings. One picture showed Pantsir installed on the roof of an eight-story building used by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) along the Moskva River. Another video showed it being lifted on to the roof of an education building in Moscow’s Taganka district, about 3km south-east of the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands joined the U.S. and Germany in pledging Patriot anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine.

The Moscow authorities and the Russian MoD have yet to comment on these reports.

Earlier this week, Russian Telegram channels also published photos of S-400 missiles systems seen near the Losiny Ostrov (Elk Island) National Park and in the fields of Moscow’s Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. Trees on Losiny Ostrov had reportedly been cut down to create a site for air defense systems.