Russia has deployed a new S-400 air defense position less than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Kremlin near an innovation center linked to Vladimir Putin’s daughter, Kateryna Tikhonova, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported on Friday, June 26.
According to the report, satellite imagery shows the new air defense site was constructed in mid-May near Moscow State University’s Innovation Science and Technology Center, the flagship project of Tikhonova’s Innopraktika Foundation.
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The outlet said the newly built position includes S-300/S-400 launchers and a 40V6MR mobile radar tower designed to improve the detection and tracking of low-flying targets.
New air defense ring around Moscow
RFE/RL reported that the new site appears to be part of a broader effort to establish another ring of air defenses around Moscow.
Unlike the Pantsir systems deployed to intercept drones, the new positions are equipped with S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems, which the outlet said could be intended to counter Ukraine’s expanding missile capabilities.
The new position is reportedly the closest S-400 site to the Kremlin discovered so far, located fewer than 10 kilometers from Russia’s seat of government.
Satellite images reviewed by the outlet show the concrete platform occupies about 4.5 hectares and closely resembles other recently identified S-400 positions around Moscow.
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The report comes days after Ukrainian officials announced the development of two domestically produced ballistic missiles, including one intended to strike targets deep inside Russia.
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Earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Ukraine had successfully tested upgraded long-range drones capable of striking targets up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) away.
RFE/RL suggested the new S-400 deployment may reflect Russian preparations for possible future Ukrainian ballistic missile attacks on Moscow.
The location of the new air defense site carries both strategic and symbolic significance, according to RFE/RL. Situated on Sparrow Hills, one of Moscow’s highest elevations, the position provides radar systems with an improved ability to detect incoming low-altitude targets.
The site is also located roughly 300 meters from the headquarters of Innopraktika, a foundation headed by Tikhonova, widely reported to be one of Putin’s daughters.
The report noted that Russia has significantly expanded air defenses around locations linked to Putin and his family since the start of the full-scale invasion. Around the president’s residence near Valdai, where Russian media have reported his family frequently stays, more than 25 air defense positions have reportedly been constructed, including sites equipped with S-300 and S-400 systems.
The findings come as Moscow reported another large-scale Ukrainian drone attack overnight into Friday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed at least 50 Ukrainian drones targeting the capital were intercepted, though independent verification of those claims was not immediately available.
The Innopraktika Foundation has previously been linked to Russia’s defense industry. In 2023, independent Russian outlets Verstka and The Moscow Times reported that the foundation had acquired a 10% stake in drone manufacturer Geoscan, whose unmanned aerial systems have reportedly been used by Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
Tikhonova has headed Innopraktika since 2015. In 2020, she was also appointed to lead Moscow State University’s newly established artificial intelligence institute, expanding her role in Russia’s scientific and technology sectors.
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