Ukraine is increasingly attacking Moscow and causing great damage there. There are various reasons why the capital cannot adequately defend itself.
June 22, 2026, 7:57 p.mJune 22, 2026, 7:57 p.m
Julian Alexander Fischer / t-online
Attacks far behind the front in the Russian hinterland were the exception for a long time in the Ukraine War. In the first few years, Ukraine only occasionally targeted targets that were hundreds of kilometers away from its own location. That has changed this year. Of all places, the well-secured capital Moscow is being targeted.
In the past week alone there were two major attacksin which numerous drones overcame Russian air defenses for the capital. The Moscow oil refinery in particular suffered severe damage and now requires extensive repairs.
But why is it now so easy for Ukraine to overcome Russian air defenses? There are various reasons for this. Some are technical in nature, others have to do with the conditions in Russia. An overview.
Weakness of the Russian air defense system
To date, Russia does not have such a comprehensively integrated air defense system as Ukraine. This connects sensors, effectors and guidance systems to form a multi-layered protective shield. In Russia there is neither a drone detection system for all border regions nor an exchange of information between various sensors and drone interception weapons. There is also a lack of multi-layered, specialized drone defense systems.
The current air defense system was developed primarily to defend against aircraft attacks and a small number of cruise missiles. There are no adequate resources for large drone attacks. Russian interceptor drones do not carry warheads and are therefore usually ineffective against large drones.
Overloading Russian defenses
The fact that the systems are not set up as needed means that Russia’s air defense is apparently overloaded with the current intensity of the Ukrainian attacks. The Russian Air Force is helping to repel the attacks, but the forces are no longer sufficient. The same applies to mobile fire teams that are understaffed.
Due to the lack of alternative means, Russia is now using missile defense systems. This in turn leads to a shortage of ammunition for Russian air defense systems. Ukrainian officials on the US broadcaster CBS point to a “reduction in the Russian inventory of S-300 surface-to-air missiles,” partly because they are used against regular attacks by new, more powerful drones.
Rob Lee, Russia expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told CBS: “Many Russian air defense missiles are being consumed at an unsustainable rate because in some cases Ukraine can produce more depth attack drones than Russia can produce air defense missiles.”
Dummies fool Russian defenses
Part of the Ukrainian overload strategy also includes the massive use of decoy drones. A commander of the Ukrainian military intelligence service told the US broadcaster CNN. Only a certain percentage of the drones launched are actually equipped with explosive devices. Others fly unequipped. “These are dummies,” explained the commander. “We sent hundreds of them. Some are empty, others carry a combat load.”
In addition, the Ukrainian Air Force has apparently recently integrated jet-powered decoy drones into its attacks. According to Ukrainian operators, these high-speed drones are designed to mimic the radar signatures of standard cruise missiles or ballistic missiles and are mistaken by Russian defense for such.
A drone attack caused a large cloud of smoke in Moscow on Thursday.Image: keystone
Russia fires expensive interceptor ammunition at empty decoys and reveals the geographical coordinates of its radar and missile batteries, which are then attacked by the actually armed drones.
Air defense is specifically eliminated
Because it is an essential part of Ukrainian tactics to specifically attack and eliminate the existing air defenses. The international research collective Tochnyi analyzed the Ukrainian actions in 1,530 verified attacks. Almost a third of the 492 attacks were on the air defense infrastructure, while hundreds more targeted systems that supported air defense. It shows how Ukraine systematically targets Russian air defense systems to open gaps in coverage.
First, radar systems are switched off so that drones can no longer be reliably located. Medium-range systems such as Buk, which form the backbone of Russian air defense in occupied Ukrainian territory and southern Russia, are then targeted. They have a range of up to 70 kilometers and will create a large gap in the defense line if destroyed.
Short-range missile systems such as Tor, which are assigned to shorter battles near the front line, are also destroyed by Ukrainian drones. Systems such as Pantsir, Tunguska, Strela and portable anti-aircraft systems, on the other hand, are mostly used to protect important installations and protect them from threats from low altitudes. Destroying these systems directly exposes key targets and reduces the risk to incoming Ukrainian drones and missiles.
Russia’s size as a weakness
The complications in building a holistic defense system also arise from the size of the area to be defended. With over 17 million square kilometers, Russia is by far the largest country in the world and extends across eleven time zones.
Since 2022, the majority of Russian air defense systems have been stationed at the front to protect troops and logistics centers. Other attack targets are no longer within reach of the defense.
Putin’s residences are protected. Other areas not.Image: keystone
Other systems focus on strategically important locations such as Putin’s residences. This creates gaps elsewhere that will probably never be completely closed. Even if the Kremlin could dramatically increase the number of its air defense systems, it is questionable whether this would be enough to protect the country’s numerous military production facilities and extensive energy infrastructure from air attacks.
AI leads to more effective attacks
Ukraine has also prepared itself technically for the new approach and is now apparently using artificial intelligence (AI) for the attacks. According to CNN, the military is using AI to process real-time battlefield data.
This allows previous interception points, the coverage of Russian air defense systems and routes that avoid detection to be analyzed in real time. Drone routes can be quickly adjusted during the flight. This increases effectiveness.