Drone and missile strikes carried out by Ukraine against industrial and energy targets around Moscow, after a new series of Russian attacks on the night of May 18, have reignited the debate on territorial protection. In Moscow, at least 2 drones were destroyed on approach this morning, while Domodedovo airport restricted its operations. In this context, military correspondent Alexander Sladkov calls for a dedicated federal program to establish air defense at levels covering armed forces and civilian infrastructure.
In a recent post, Alexander Sladkov, a widely followed milblogger, said in reference to the framework of ” opération spéciale » in Ukraine, « Perhaps it is worth creating an adult air defense system as part of the special operation (SVO)? HAS”. He added, “ The country must be protected by the state, and not by “koubilins*†, even if they sometimes produce excellent products HAS”. The objective put forward consists of moving from improvised initiatives to a structured state system, backed by specific budgeting and coherent industrial conduct.
Tiered air defense relies on the superposition of short-, medium- and long-range sensors and interceptors to address threats ranging from long-range aviation to micro-drones. In Russia, this network combines radars and ground-air systems such as Pantsir, S‒350 and S‒400, and is linked to hunting, notably the Su‒35 and MiG‒31. This architecture aims to multiply successive barriers and complicate enemy penetration, while covering the axes of approach to urban centers and critical sites.
These calls come after several previous official announcements on the hardening of the posture. Defense Minister Sergueï Choïgou had detailed a reorganization of the defense of Moscow, with an anti-aircraft and anti-missile division equipped with S‒400 and S‒500 brigades, the rise of regiments equipped with S‒350 and the transformation of units still to the S‒300 standard. It was also planned to provide local units with more than 500 Pantsir systems by 2023. The replacement of the A‒135 by the A‒235 Nudol was announced for 2025 around key metropolises.
At the same time, Vladimir Putin presented a strengthening of air defense resources with the acquisition, in the years to come, of 25 S‒400 and S‒350 systems and around 200 aircraft. Between 2012 and 2020, the Russian forces increased the share of equipment classified as modern, while deploying nearly a hundred S‒400 systems within around twenty regiments. The programming law targeted deliveries of additional combat and support aircraft by 2027, part of the overall modernization of the aerospace forces.
On the ground, Russia engaged so-called Geran drones and Iskander missiles on the night of May 18 against Dnipro and Odessa, with secondary detonations reported in Dnipro. Mirroring this, Ukraine claimed responsibility, on the night of May 16 to 17, for strikes against the Angstrem microelectronics factory in Zelenograd and other oil infrastructure near Moscow, a geolocated image showing a plume of smoke. On May 18, an aviation fuel depot was hit by drone in the Kursk region, illustrating the persistence of these deep actions.
In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin indicated this morning that the air defense was repelling new attacks. He clarified, “ Emergency services specialists are at work “, while fragments of downed aircraft were identified and no injuries were reported at this stage. Domodedovo Airport restricted operations, with Rosaviatsia citing possible flight adjustments, while the capital’s other airports continued to operate normally under enhanced coordination.
Air defense has long been a strategic priority for Moscow, seen as a pillar in the face of NATO’s air superiority. Previous ministerial and presidential decisions relating to reorganizations, staffing and system replacements demonstrate a recurring political response when vulnerabilities are brought to light. The public positions taken by influential military correspondents like Alexander Sladkov are part of this register, at the junction of opinion and the state apparatus.
The increase in Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory and Moscow’s in-depth response are creating a dynamic of reciprocal actions. If the Kremlin orders a rapid redeployment of resources to protect large cities within range of drones, effects could appear on the density of defenses along the front and on the tempo of strategic strikes. This development comes as official communications from both sides describe limited gains and high losses on the contact line, without a decisive breakthrough.
The federal program proposal put forward by Alexander Sladkov places multi-layered air defense at the forefront of the security agenda. The next decisions will indicate whether a separate budgetary framework, dedicated governance and redeployments of units will be implemented in the short term, with a measurable effect on the protection of urban centers and critical infrastructure. In the immediate future, the intensity of drone attacks and local measures taken around Moscow are maintaining pressure on the Russian system and its industrial priorities.
*: In Russian, calling someone a “Kulibin†(Кулибины) means a self-taught engineer capable of manufacturing ingenious solutions with little means, a genius tinkerer or an improvised inventor, in reference to reference to Ivan Kulibin, a Russian mechanic and inventor born in Nizhny Novgorod in 1735.
