Paranoid Putin installs air defence system to protect his favourite luxury palace
A Russian Pantsir-S1 air defence system has been installed close to one of Putin’s private dachas near the Russian resort of Lake Valdai between Moscow and St Petersburg. Increased military hardware being installed in the area is thought to be a sign that the Kremlin is worried that resilient Ukraine could strike at the site between Moscow and St Petersburg.
Russian opposition website Agentstvo said: “These air defence systems protect Putin personally and his family from a possible Ukrainian strike.”
Pantsirs designed to take down helicopters and planes as well as missiles and drones.
The system was recently spotted springing up across Moscow on the roofs of government and military buildings.
It comes as Vladimir Putin’s troops continue to suffer heavy losses in Ukraine with the total number of dead and wounded now said to be reaching as high as 180,000 men.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine have provided up-to-date causality figures from the battlefield, with Kyiv suffering some 100,000 losses according to Norway’s army chief.
Norwegian Chief of Defence Eirik Kristoffersen told TV2: “Russian losses are beginning to approach around 180,000 dead or wounded soldiers.
He added: “Ukrainian losses are probably over 100,000 dead or wounded. In addition, Ukraine has about 30,000 civilians who died in this terrible war.”
Mr Kristofferen warned that despite the heavy losses “Russia is able to continue (this war) for quite a long time”.
On Sunday, the Norwegian army chief concluded that Russia’s mobilisation and arms production capacities could keep the Kremlin in the fight for a long while.
Mr Kristofferen pointed out that while the Russian airforce has played a limited role in the conflict “thanks to Ukrainian anti-aircraft defences”, he is concerned that this may change.
He said: “What worries most is whether Ukraine is going to be able to keep the Russian air force out of the war.”
Meanwhile, Poland said Monday it would ask Berlin for permission to send German-built Leopard tanks to Ukraine as its Western allies move to supply Kyiv with more powerful military hardware to thwart Russia’s invasion.
