Putin: The West is talking about war with Russia; we are ready to respond
In the meantime, however, following the Ukrainian attacks, the Russian authorities have begun to bolster Moscow’s air defences, including by redeploying systems from the front line
The Russian authorities had already begun to bolster Moscow’s air defences – including by redeploying systems from the front line – even before the latest raids by Ukrainian forces on the night of 21–22, the third attack on the Russian capital in a week, whilst Kyiv is stepping up medium- and long-range raids across the country and against the rear lines of Russian forces in the occupied territories.
Given the size of the territory and the countless potential targets, the decisions facing the Russian military are objectively difficult, even taking into account the destruction of radar capabilities carried out last month by Ukrainian forces and the slowdown in the production of interceptors due to a shortage of components blocked by sanctions. A new S-400 battery was installed in Moskoretsky Park, one of the highest points around the city, at the end of May, according to satellite imagery collected in early June and analysed in recent days, as reported by the Institute for the Study of War.
A Pantsir system, reportedly moved from the front line, is believed to have been installed on a tower next to the oil refinery hit during the night of 17–18, following a previous bombardment the day before, as indicated by the protective metal cage, The Telegraph reported yesterday. The system has only two of the six missiles it can be equipped with, indicating a possible shortage of interceptors. CBS had reported in recent days on a shortage of S-300 air defence systems due to a halt in the import of components caused by sanctions, a halt that could also affect the production of other defence systems.
Yesterday, Kyiv claimed to have struck the Special Communications Centre in Dubna, in the Moscow region, 540 kilometres from the border – a facility of great importance for linking satellites to ground-based communications networks, which, amongst other things, manages the satellite network connecting Russia to the rest of the world. The state-owned space communications company associated with the Centre acknowledged the strike, whilst pointing out, however, that television broadcasts and communications had not been disrupted.
Putin: The West is talking about war with Russia; we are ready to respond
Western countries “lie” when they raise the spectre of war with Russia, because they want to justify rearmament and increased military spending. This was stated by Vladimir Putin, who added that Russia is ready to respond appropriately to any threats.
