06/20/2026
When the capital of the aggressor country, Russia, Moscow, was attacked by Ukrainian drones on the morning of June 18, the work of Russian air defense looked quite chaotic and did not at all resemble the strategic defense of the city. In general, Russian air defense is not designed to protect against drones, as it was created to shoot down military aircraft, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is constantly improving its offensive capabilities. CNN analyzed how Ukraine managed to break through Russian air defenses.
Chaos and inconsistency arose in Moscow during the Ukrainian drone attack
During the Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, Russian air defense operations were chaotic and inconsistent. For example, a video analyzed by Western experts shows Russian soldiers firing portable, shoulder-fired air defense systems directly on a busy highway while civilian cars drive by.
“The video, which captures the firing of portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) on a busy highway, demonstrates a hasty, improvised and frankly unprofessional response to the attack. The complete lack of traffic control and the use of military equipment incredibly close to civilian vehicles and individuals confirm this assessment,” commented video expert Stu Ray.
A drone, likely shot down by Russian air defense systems, crashes into a building in the market, while people run for their lives.
In another video, a Russian anti-aircraft missile likely misses its target and hits an oil storage tank on the outskirts of Moscow.
“Thursday’s attack on Moscow – the largest since the start of the full-scale war – was another example of how Ukraine’s strategy of suppressing Russian air defenses with drones appears to have succeeded,” the publication says.
Expert Markus Schiller noted that Russia uses old systems that are not reliable, while Ukraine has been constantly improving its attack capabilities for many years.
In particular, since 2024, Ukraine has been intensifying long-range attacks on Russian oil refineries and military facilities. And recently, it broke through Russian defenses in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Another factor is that while Russia previously concentrated its air defense systems on the border with Ukraine and on the front line, it now has to spread them over a much larger territory.
In addition, Ukraine has been attacking Russian air defense launchers themselves, as well as radar detection systems, for years to reduce Russia’s defense capabilities.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces claim to have destroyed 166 Russian “air defense elements” since the beginning of this year, and over 1,432 since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022,” the material states.
Another factor is that Russian air defense systems were not designed to repel drones. They were designed to shoot down military aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, according to expert Thomas Whittington.
“Russian air defenses are simply not fit for purpose, that’s absolutely clear. They are not equipped to detect, track and deal with this type of attack, and unless there is a major redesign of the Russian air defense system, it will remain that way,” Whittington told the publication.
He also added that due to international sanctions, Moscow cannot gain access to the technologies necessary to develop new systems.
“Even if you can increase production, you will only increase the production of missile systems that do not even fulfill their function,” he noted.
What preceded
On the morning of June 18, the capital of the aggressor country was subjected to one of the largest drone attacks in recent times. The country’s drones carried out a series of strikes on the Russian capital. One of the main targets was the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district in the southeast of the Russian capital. The attack continued in several waves, starting at approximately 4:30 a.m. After the strikes on the plant, thick columns of black smoke rose above the city.
Moscow authorities claimed that as of 6:40 a.m., at least 43 drones had allegedly been shot down by air defense forces on their approach to and over the capital.
The network notes that the refinery was tightly covered by air defense, but the drones broke deep into the facility, despite the stationary towers with Pantsir air defense systems installed around Kapotny and in neighboring areas.
Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdy “Magyar”, published a symbolic photo and commented on the results of the operation. According to the military, over the past month, Ukrainian forces have carried out a massive attack on the Moscow Oil Refinery for the third time. After a series of attacks, at least two tanks at the plant in the southeast of the Russian capital caught fire.
“The video, which captures the firing of portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) on a busy highway, demonstrates a hasty, improvised and frankly unprofessional response to the attack…”
Not only in the shithole’s capital city, but everywhere Ukrainian drones show up.