Ukraine Targets Russian Air Defenses as Moscow Fortifies Power Plant and Deploys Roadside Missile System
Ukraine says it has destroyed key Russian air-defense systems and drone facilities, while Moscow reinforces a major power plant after a large drone attack and positions an air-defense system on a busy highway.
Ukraine’s latest strikes on Russian air-defense assets and drone infrastructure are coinciding with visible efforts by Moscow to protect its own critical sites, underscoring how the war is reaching deeper into Russian territory.
Between 13 and 20 September, Ukrainian forces neutralized 10 Russian unmanned aerial vehicle command posts and operator ground stations, according to Ukrainian reporting. They also report destroying an S-400 Triumf long-range air-defense system, a Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system and a Nebo-U radar. Seven sites used to produce, store or prepare Russian drones for launch in Siverskodonetsk, Sochi, Kursk and occupied Donetsk were also hit.
These assets form important layers of Russia’s air and drone operations. Taking them out strains its ability to protect ammunition depots, command centers and industrial facilities and to sustain its own drone launches.
Inside Russia, the response is increasingly visible. In Moscow, the CHPP-8 power plant is being reinforced with concrete blocks amid concern over another Ukrainian drone attack. The work follows strikes on the city on 20 September that Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described as the largest attack on the capital.
Separately, a Pantsir air-defense system has been deployed on a busy highway near Moscow’s oil refinery. The system’s presence on a crowded road near major energy infrastructure highlights how the capital’s own transport and industrial nodes are now treated as potential targets.
For residents of Moscow and other Russian cities, these measures bring the war closer to daily life. Power stations, refineries and major roads are being physically fortified, and modern air-defense systems are appearing in places usually associated with commuting and civilian traffic.
From Ukraine’s perspective, hitting high-value air-defense systems, radars and drone hubs is intended to open up more space for its own drones and missiles to reach fuel depots, logistics nodes and other targets that support Russian operations. Each destroyed radar or launcher forces Russia to rethink where it positions remaining equipment and what it can credibly protect.
Key developments to watch include independent confirmation of the claimed Ukrainian strikes on the S-400, Buk-M3 and Nebo-U systems; further reported attacks on drone-related facilities in Russian regions and occupied areas; an expansion of concrete fortifications and air-defense deployments around Russian infrastructure; and any disruptions to power or fuel supply that can be linked to this campaign.
Sources
- OSINT