The US media emphasized the psychological shock of the 30-day attack
Go beyond the symbolic attack and target the Russian political and economic elite
Moscow’s air defense system is vulnerable to drone attacks
A large-scale drone strike in Moscow, the Russian capital, on the 30th (local time) did not cause any major physical damage, but the US media reported that it made Moscow citizens face the reality of the war in Ukraine.
The New York Times (NYT) reported with the headline “Russian nationalists say the attack on Moscow is a psychological blow,” CNN reported “War has broken out in Moscow,” and Congressional media THE HILL reported “Putin ‘s War Myth Breaks”.
War broke out in Moscow
The New York Times reported that Russian nationalists pointed out that the government was failing to prepare the people for the escalation of war beyond Russia’s borders.
The NYT reported that while the damage from the drone strikes was not significant, with windows in three apartments partially broken and two residents suffering minor injuries, despite many efforts to make the war affect the daily lives of Moscow residents, residents were not informed of the reality of the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that the psychological shock that made him realize it was the biggest.
“If the intent was to scare the population, the mere fact that drones appeared over Moscow worked,” pro-war blogger Mikhail Zvinchuk told Telegram.
In addition, Evgeny Prigozin, head of the Wagner Mercenary Group, criticized the Russian Ministry of Defense for lagging behind in the drone war, highlighting that upper-class residences have been targeted.
Former militia leader Igor Girkin, who has been advocating escalation of the war, asked Telegram, “It is said that everything goes as planned, saying vaguely that Napoleon’s attack on Moscow was defeated without being honest, but what is the real plan?”
CNN pointed out that scenes familiar to Ukrainians, such as alarms going off in the city, explosions heard, and anti-aircraft weapons firing, occurred not in Kiev, but in Moscow, the Russian capital.
Attacks targeting Russian political and economic elites
CNN also stressed that the drone attack on the 30th was quantitatively different from the previous attacks, and that it was not a symbolic attack on Russia, but an attack aimed at the Russian political and economic elite. It is said that the Lulevka district, a luxurious residential area in the southwest of Moscow where wealthy people, politicians and high-ranking officials live, was attacked.
In this regard, Congressman Alexander Hinstein said that the drone attack on Moscow was “a new reality we are facing”, CNN reported. “You shouldn’t be relieved that you’ve intercepted all the drones, and don’t underestimate the enemy,” he emphasized.
The Hill reported that the Moscow drone strike undermined Vladimir Putin’s claim that the war in Ukraine was successful and made the Russian public feel the war in Ukraine.
In particular, The Hill pointed out that infighting in Russia is growing, especially as hardliners criticize the Russian military in the wake of drone strikes, along with cross-border attacks by anti-Putin militias last week.
Michael Allen, general manager of security consulting firm Beacon Global Strategies, said the drone strike on the capital Moscow was a message that Ukraine would retaliate against Russian airstrikes and could dispel the myth that the Russian military was winning the war in Ukraine. .
◆Ukrainian retaliatory attacks likely to intensify
The Hill said Ukraine is increasingly demonstrating its ability to attack deep inside Russia. This is why it is an illusion to see the war as a distant event that will pass by.”
Meanwhile, the NYT points out that Russia’s Amur air defense system, which has been installed since the 1980s to defend against intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear bomb attacks, does not fit the reality of a modern war with Ukraine. It was reported that the latest anti-aircraft weapons were deployed on the roof of the building.
The New York Times picked the S-400 and the Panchir S-1 as Russia’s latest anti-aircraft weapons, and reported that the Panchir missiles intercepted 5 out of 8 drones on the 30th. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the remaining three drones were intercepted with an electronic sabotage weapon called Pole-21. The Pole-21 is a weapon that disrupts the satellite navigation signal (GPS) and causes the drone to lose track and fall.
Vulnerable to defense of small, low-flying drones in the Moscow air defense system
The NYT describes the fact that Putin intercepted all eight drones as a victory for Russia, but pointed out that Panchir and Pol-21 are not effective in defending densely populated areas full of satellite information. Accordingly, it is necessary to intercept drones before they reach densely populated areas, but it is a difficult task for Russia, which has a large area.
The NYT also emphasized that in the past, it was very difficult to intercept and intercept small drones around cities where various civil aircraft were flying. In the past, objects smaller than helicopters were excluded from identification targets in air defense radar, but if the radar is adjusted to capture small drones, birds are often captured together.
In this regard, researcher Ian Williams, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that the Panchir anti-aircraft weapon is not optimized for intercepting low-flying objects like drones. It seems to be targeting the system’s vulnerabilities,” he said.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.