Moscow to defend against Ukrainian drones with air defense systems on civilian building rooftops

(Patria) - Russia has begun deploying new Pantsir-SMD-E air defense systems on the rooftops of civilian buildings in Moscow, according to footage shared by military analyst Massimo Frantarelli and the Ukrainian portal Militarnyi.

Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on military, industrial, and energy targets within Russia in recent months, with drones repeatedly reaching Moscow and other regions hundreds of kilometers from the border.

Video footage released yesterday shows a Russian heavy transport helicopter Mi-26 placing a Pantsir-SMD-E system on the roof of the Nordstar Tower business center in northern Moscow.

🚁Mil Mi-26T.. heavy transport helicopter.
Pantsir-SMD" ADMS?
🎥"chegara.siz" pic.twitter.com/WEAwTKQLsg

— Massimo Frantarelli (@MrFrantarelli) May 27, 2026

The Pantsir-SMD-E is a newer version of Russia's short-range Pantsir air defense system, specifically designed to combat drones and smaller aerial targets.

Unlike the older Pantsir-S1, this variant does not include 30-millimeter automatic cannons, according to the Militarnyi portal.

The system is armed with two types of missiles: standard 95Ya6 missiles with an interception range of up to 20 kilometers, and smaller TKB-1055 missiles designed to target small drones at distances of up to seven kilometers.

According to the Militarnyi portal, the radar package includes an active phased-array surveillance radar with a detection range of up to 24 kilometers, as well as a targeting radar.

Russia first began deploying Pantsir systems on rooftops in Moscow back in 2023, after Ukrainian drones managed to reach the capital. One system was also placed on top of the Russian Ministry of Defense headquarters.

Throughout the war, Moscow has built an increasingly dense air defense network around the city, reinforced by mobile fire groups and systems transferred from other regions.

During 2025 alone, Russia deployed over 40 additional Pantsir-S1 air defense systems around Moscow. This brings the total number of air defense systems added around the capital since 2023 to over 100, according to estimates cited by Militarnyi.

During the night of May 27, Ukraine carried out another wave of long-range attacks on Russian military and industrial targets.

According to information from the General Staff of Ukraine, targets included an oil refinery in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, and several Russian reconnaissance, radar, and command systems.