Russia builds new air defense ring around Moscow, 15+ positions spotted from space

The outlet reports that the new air defense positions are being constructed along the Central Ring Road and the Small Concrete Ring that runs parallel to it - both circular highways located roughly 50 kilometers from Moscow.

Interestingly, this road was originally built during Soviet times to transport missiles to the capital’s air defense systems.

Journalists note that the new air defense positions in the Moscow region often appear near old Soviet sites from the so-called small air defense ring, which, during the Cold War, was designed to protect Moscow from NATO airstrikes using S-25 Berkut systems.

In particular, more than 15 new Pantsir air defense positions have been identified. They are located in several areas:

• Gzhel: inside a highway interchange on the Central Ring Road (TsKAD)
• Near Podolsk: next to a former Soviet S-25 site
• Southern Moscow region: about 8 kilometers from Domodedovo Airport
• Near Ramenskoye: just south of Zhukovsky Airport
• Near Naro-Fominsk: on the territory of a former radio engineering center
• Adjacent to a shooting range of the Central Research Institute for Precision Machine Building

Satellite images suggest that Russian forces are essentially recreating the Soviet-era small air defense ring around Moscow, a system that was never fully utilized during the Cold War.

Drone attack on Moscow

On the night of July 20, residents of Moscow and the surrounding region reported a drone attack. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that air defense forces allegedly destroyed thirteen enemy drones targeting the Russian capital.

Earlier, on July 7, it was reported that Ukrainian forces had struck the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant, located near Moscow.

This facility is known to produce thermobaric warheads for Shahed drones, which Russian forces regularly use in attacks against Ukraine.