Russia Packed Nearly 100 Pantsirs and 25 S-300/400 Around Moscow. Ukrainian Drones Still Got Through

Russia has concentrated nearly 100 Pantsir air defense positions and around 25 S-300 and S-400 batteries around Moscow, yet Ukrainian drones still reportedly reached logistics and fuel facilities within 20 to 30 kilometers of the capital, Defense Express reported on July 20.

The latest strikes hit the massive Wildberries sorting center in Koledino, the Yuzhnye Vorota logistics and industrial park near Metkino, and an oil depot in Lvovsky, according to OSINT analyst Mark Krutov cited by Defense Express.

The attacks followed an earlier successful strike on a Wildberries warehouse complex in Elektrostal, also in the Moscow region, as Ukraine continued targeting facilities supporting Russian logistics.

Defense Express noted that the sites near Podolsk were located well inside the defensive zone protecting the Russian capital.

Around 20 Pantsir surface-to-air missile and gun systems are believed to be deployed around Podolsk alone, according to a Russian air defense map made by Krutov. Five of them were positioned in proximity to the facilities that were reportedly hit.

Three additional S-300 or S-400 positions have also been identified near the affected area.

An OSINT map compiled by analyst Jembob from satellite imagery and videos recorded by local residents shows approximately 90 stationary Pantsir positions and about 25 S-300 and S-400 batteries across the wider Moscow area.

Those figures do not include temporary deployments used during major drone attacks. Russian forces have previously placed Pantsir systems on highway interchanges and overpasses in an attempt to improve their ability to detect and intercept low-flying drones.

Defense Express said Moscow reinforced the capital’s air defenses partly by pulling systems away from other strategically important facilities, including sites associated with Russia’s nuclear submarine industry in Severodvinsk.

Despite that concentration of defenses, the Ukrainian drones reportedly crossed additional air defense positions along Moscow’s A108 outer ring, commonly known as the “concrete ring,” before reaching their targets near Podolsk.

The drones traveled more than 750 kilometers before striking facilities close to the Russian capital.

According to Defense Express, the attacks demonstrate that even Moscow’s heavily reinforced air defense network remains vulnerable. Russia has concentrated large numbers of modern systems around the capital, but that buildup has still failed to create an impenetrable shield against Ukraine’s long-range drones.

Previous reports suggest that Russia will further expand the air defense ring around Moscow. A newly cleared section of Moskvoretsky Park in Moscow’s Kuntsevo district may be the site of a new position for S-400 air defense systems.

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