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War in Ukraine

Kremlin Replaces Top Air Force Commander After Failed Drone Defenses

2 min read
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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
News Writer
Illustrative image. OSA-AKM surface-to-air missile launchers and S-300 anti-aircraft systems during the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises some 200 km southwest of Minsk, on September 19, 2017. (Source: Getty Images)
Illustrative image. OSA-AKM surface-to-air missile launchers and S-300 anti-aircraft systems during the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises some 200 km southwest of Minsk, on September 19, 2017. (Source: Getty Images)

A Russian leader has replaced the head of the country’s Aerospace Forces, which oversees air defense and missile defense systems, following a series of drone attacks that exposed vulnerabilities in Russia’s protective capabilities, Russian media outlet RBC reported on March 4.

General Viktor Afzalov, who had led the Aerospace Forces since 2023, has been replaced by Colonel General Alexander Chaiko.

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Chaiko, 54, previously commanded Russian forces in Syria in the late 2010s and has led the Eastern Military District since 2021.

According to the European Union, he was also involved in events in Bucha, where units under his command have been accused of mass killings of civilians near Kyiv. On March 16, 2026, the EU imposed personal sanctions on Chaiko alongside eight other Russian military figures.

The leadership change comes after a wave of drone attacks that Russia’s air defenses failed to intercept.

In late March, major oil export ports on the Baltic Sea were hit, temporarily halting shipments. Throughout April, oil infrastructure across Russia was targeted more than 20 times, affecting at least nine refineries—five of which were forced to suspend operations—driving oil processing levels down to their lowest point since 2009.

The port and refinery complex in Tuapse was struck four times, resulting in fires that destroyed tens of thousands of tons of oil and petroleum products. Reports described oil fallout over the city and fuel spills into the sea.

On April 30, similar strikes were reported in Perm, where storage facilities belonging to Transneft and the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery—one of the largest in the country—were hit.

The growing drone threat has also forced adjustments to symbolic events in Moscow. Authorities have scaled back the Victory Day parade, which for the first time since 2009 is expected to take place without military hardware.

The event is also set to be shorter than usual, and members of the Russian Parliament will reportedly not attend the stands.

Previously, long-range strike drones targeted Moscow, with debris and damage reported just a few miles from the Kremlin.

Videos show wreckage scattered across Mosfilmovskaya Street, an area located roughly six kilometers (about 3.7 miles) from the Kremlin, the fortified center of the city.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fears the possibility of drones appearing over Moscow during Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade, in remarks that underscore rising tensions ahead of one of the country’s most symbolic events.

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