Since January and early February, russia has been bolstering air defenses around its government buildings in Moscow by deploying Pantsir systems right on top of the said buildings.
There is one problem though. The reinforcements to the "government quarter" are provided in a way that actually weakens the general anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense of Moscow. Moreover, the russians even deployed an additional air defense brigade from the Western Military District with S-300 long-range missile systems for that purpose, as reported by US-based think tank Jamestown Foundation.
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As explained in the article published by the foundation, the Pantsir systems that the russians lifted up to the roofs, were taken from the 1st Air Missile Defense Army, an "elite" unit that received 20 systems of this type in 2018. The deployment of Pantsir systems as it is now makes "overall defense of Moscow from traditional threats more difficult".
Because the original intent was that these Pantsir systems were destined to cover not individual buildings in Moscow but the positions of S-300 and S-400 missile systems and anti-missile complexes A-135. These advanced weapons, in turn, would make an integral circular defense around the entire Moscow and all the political and military facilities inside.
Therefore, if the russian command decided to change the pattern and start scattering their Pantsir systems across Moscow, it means they are not so sure about the reliability of the defense circle against enemy missile or drone strikes.
And one of the reasons for it is that since the russians began the all-out invasion of Ukraine, most of their air defense weapons were relocated closer to the Ukrainian frontline.
At the same time, russian generals are obsessed with the idea that the USA will definitely help the Armed Forces of Ukraine to develop such a plan for a strike on Moscow that all of air defenses in the russian federation would be helpless against.
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