Sabotage Near Moscow Reportedly Knocked Out Parts of Russia’s Air Defense Network

Partisan movement Atesh claimed responsibility for a sabotage operation in Russia’s Moscow region that allegedly disrupted elements of the air defense network protecting approaches to the Russian capital.

According to statements published by the Atesh partisan movement on May 17, operatives damaged several communication towers in the areas of Putilkovo, Kommunarka, and Domodedovo near Moscow.

Atesh stated that the affected towers hosted electronic warfare (EW) modules used for monitoring low-flying targets, transmitting operational data, and coordinating between Russian air defense units.

According to the movement, the sabotage caused the Russian air defense system around Moscow to lose part of its observation capability on the near approaches to the city.

“Without these devices, data on low-flying targets stops arriving in time—reaction speed drops, and some routes remain uncovered,” Atesh said in a statement published on its Telegram channel.

The group did not provide independent evidence confirming the scale of the disruption, and Russian authorities had not publicly commented on the claim at the time of publication.

The reported sabotage comes amid continued Ukrainian long-range drone strikes targeting military and industrial facilities deep inside Russia. In recent months, Russian regions surrounding Moscow have repeatedly reported drone interceptions and temporary airport restrictions linked to air defense activity.

Earlier, Atesh partisans claimed responsibility for sabotaging a military communications node in Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, reportedly disrupting command systems linked to the Central Military District and affecting troop and equipment deployments toward the Pokrovsk direction. According to the group, the April 15 operation damaged infrastructure used for secure military communications and rear logistics coordination.

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