Russia deploys new Pantsir systems on Moscow rooftops as Ukrainian drone threat grows

WarMay 28, 2026 5:51 pm • 3 min readThe Pantsyr S-1 air defence missile system (NATO name SA-22 Greyhound) is seen atop the Russian Defence Ministry headquarters in Moscow on May 5, 2026. (Alexander NEMENOV / AFP via Getty Images)Russia appears to have begun deploying new Pantsir-SMD-E air defense systems on the rooftops of civilian buildings in Moscow, according to footage by military analyst Massimo Frantarelli and Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi.Ukraine has intensified its long-range strike campaign against military, industrial, and energy targets inside Russia in recent months, with drones repeatedly reaching Moscow and other regions hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border.🚁Mil Mi-26T.. heavy transport helicopter.Pantsir-SMD" ADMS?🎥"chegara.siz" pic.twitter.com/WEAwTKQLsg— Massimo Frantarelli (@MrFrantarelli) May 27, 2026

Video published online on May 27 shows a Russian Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter installing a Pantsir-SMD-E system on the roof of the Nordstar Tower business center in northern Moscow. The Pantsir-SMD-E is a newer version of Russia's Pantsir short-range air defense system designed specifically to counter drones and smaller aerial targets. Unlike the older Pantsir-S1, the SMD-E variant does not include 30 mm automatic cannons, according to Militarnyi.The system is armed with two types of missiles: standard 95Ya6 missiles with a reported interception range of up to 20 kilometers (12 miles), and smaller TKB-1055 missiles intended to target small drones at ranges of up to 7 kilometers (4 miles). A Russian Pantsir-SMD-E air defense missile system is on display at Al-Maktoum International Airport during the Dubai Airshow 2025 in Dubai on November 17, 2025. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)According to Militarnyi, the radar suite includes an active phased-array surveillance radar with a detection range of up to 24 kilometers (15 miles), as well as a millimeter-wave targeting radar.Russia first began deploying Pantsir systems on rooftops in Moscow in 2023, including atop the Russian Defense Ministry headquarters, as Ukrainian drones were able to reach the capital.Over the course of the war, Moscow has built an increasingly dense air defense network around the city, reinforced by mobile fire groups and systems redeployed from other regions. Russia deployed more than 40 additional Pantsir-S1 systems around Moscow in 2025 alone, bringing the total number of air defense systems added around the capital since 2023 to over 100, according to estimates cited by Militarnyi. Overnight on May 27, Ukraine carried out another wave of long-range strikes against Russian military and industrial targets on May 27, including the Tuapse oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai and several Russian reconnaissance, radar, and command systems, according to Ukraine's General Staff.