The Insider has uncovered the deployment of a Pantsir S-1 air defense missile system in Greater Moscow. The system is situated on the surface of the dormant Salaryevo landfill, alongside a pre-existing radar. Recent additions include military trailers, fuel canisters, and potentially ammunition.
Military operators activate the surface-to-air (SAM) system from time to time, as indicated by the radar rotation and the repositioning of anti-aircraft guns. The Pantsir system is designed for short-range defense and serves the primary function of safeguarding small targets against aerial threats. Additionally, it has the capability to engage lightly armored ground targets and enemy personnel.
The vantage point to observe the missile system is accessible from the Salaryevo-Park housing complex and Filatov Lug metro station along the Sokolnicheskaya Moscow Metro line. A parking lot operated by Moscow's government parking authority, where towed vehicles from across Greater Moscow are transported, is located at the foot of the landfill.
The Salaryevo landfill, Europe's largest recultivated garbage mound, has been utilized by the Russian military, as earlier discovered by The Insider. The location has served as a site for army installations since February this year. Notably, the site was used to deploy the P-18-2 Prima mobile surveillance and targeting radar, which has a distinctive large horizontal antenna designed to detect, track, measure coordinates, and determine the origin of airborne objects in the meter range.
A close-up view of the P-18-2 Prima's antennae
According to Ukrainian military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko, the presence of the Prima radar suggests the potential deployment of short- or medium-range surface-to-air missiles alongside it. The Prima radar was consistently operational in February and May, but as summer arrived, it has been observed to be increasingly inactive.