Paranoid Putin withdraws air defences from front line and moves them to Moscow after spate of humiliating Ukrainian drone attacks

By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:10, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 10:16, 23 June 2026 Vladimir Putin has pulled one of his air defences from the front line and moved it to Moscow following a spate of Ukrainian drone attacks.  The Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system has been installed on a tower just a few hundred metres from the Russian capital's Kapotnya oil refinery.  Kyiv has stepped up its drone strikes on Russia in recent months, hitting oil refineries that fund Moscow's war chest.  According to analysts, Russia's outdated air defence network, which was designed to counter aircraft and conventional missiles, has struggled to adapt to Ukraine's long-range drones. The cabin of the new Pantsir defence system is protected by a metal cage, a feature usually seen on systems deployed near the front line to defend against short-range strike drones, The Telegraph reports.  Ukrainian defence experts say this suggests that the launcher was moved from the combat zone within Ukraine. Images online also show the system with only two of the standard six launch missiles pictured on one side, suggesting there may be a shortage of interceptors. Moscow is shielded by more than 100 air-defence launchers and 50 Pantsir mobile air-defence systems, according to Ukraine's top commander, Robert Brovdi. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to lay a wreath during a ceremony at the Unknown Tomb on June 22, 2026 in Moscow, Russia The lid of a Russian oil refinery at Kapotnya is blown into the air during a Ukrainian drone strike The decision to move the defence system to the capital comes as the capital's three rings of air defence have proven to be vulnerable to Ukrainian drone attacks, which comes as a humiliating blow to Putin.  On Monday, a spate of drone attacks caused all four major Moscow airports to suspend operations.  And last week, scores of drones targeted the capital city, sparking fires in and around Moscow and forcing evacuations from its Sheremetyevo airport.  Footage captured the moment a Ukrainian drone struck the oil depot, sending a huge fireball into the sky as debris rained down around it.  Other unverified videos purported to show large columns of black smoke over the city's skyline, while one clip showed drones buzzing overhead. In further footage, bystanders were heard screaming in terror as explosions rang out and what appeared to be a rocket flew overhead, while smoke poured from an apartment block. Earlier this month, Ukraine also staged a massive attack on a major oil port in St Petersburg just hours before the opening of Putin's flagship international investment summit.  Over recent months, Kyiv has repeatedly struck refineries, oil terminals, pumping stations and export facilities deep inside Russian territory. A woman walks outside a shopping mall as black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery Smoke billows behind an Orthodox church following a reported Ukrainian drone attack, in Moscow, Russia, 18 June 2026 A satellite image shows a section of an oil refinery in Moscow following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 20, 2026 Among the most significant targets were the NORSI refinery near Nizhny Novgorod, Russia's fourth largest refinery with capacity to process 16 million metric tonnes of oil annually. It suspended operations on April 5 following a drone attack. The Moscow refinery was also hit on May 19, and the Ryazan refinery on the 15th, which accounts for almost five per cent of Russia's refining volumes. The Perm refinery, which processed around 12.6 million metric tonnes of oil in 2024, halted processing on May 7 after a drone attack caused a fire and damaged equipment. The cumulative effect has been to place increasing strain on Russia's energy sector, which remains the primary source of funding for the Kremlin's war machine. Ukraine's stepped-up strikes on targets inside Russia allow Kyiv to negotiate the end of the war on an equal footing, President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.