[Russia] - Kremlin Declines to Say if Moscow is Preparing for Air Strikes

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Updates with Peskov and Horowitz comments.The Kremlin refused to state whether Russia was getting ready for strikes on the capital on Friday
after pictures of rocket defense systems on a number of Moscow roofs circulated on social media.Anti-aircraft rocket systems have actually
been spotted throughout Moscow today in the middle of issues over Ukraines capability to strike deep within Russian territory.Videos and
pictures distributing online Thursday revealed what seemed a Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air system being set up on top of an administrative
structure and the Defense Ministry head office in main Moscow.On Friday, reports emerged that another likely Pantsir-S1 system had actually
been spotted 10 kilometers from President Vladimir Putins official residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow this month.Pantsir-S1 is an air
defense system designed to protect against a range of weapons consisting of aircraft and ballistic and cruise missiles.They follow sightings
of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems at a national forest and a testing ground in north and northeastern Moscow.Security analyst Michael
Horowitz said on Twitter that Russia could be worried about Ukrainian attacks versus Moscow or wished to highlight the threat of Ukrainian
attacks.Moscow has actually implicated Ukrainian forces of being behind drone attacks on military facilities deep inside Russian
territory.On Friday, Ukraines Western allies gathered for a significant conference to pick a new package of military help for the war-torn
country.Putin sent soldiers to Ukraine in February last year however Moscows army has actually suffered a string of military problems in
Ukraine in current months.The reported Pantsir-S1 and S-400 releases follow a series of harmful drone strikes hundreds of kilometers within
Russian territory last month
Moscow blamed Kyiv for the attacks, while Kyiv has not formally discussed the incidents.Asked whether Russia was worried that Moscow might
be a target, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov referred concerns to the defense ministry
They are accountable for guaranteeing the security of the country in basic and the capital in specific, therefore it is much better to ask
the defense ministry about all measures that are taken, Peskov told reporters.The ministry did not immediately react to a request for
comment.Experts have warned that Moscow has actually been left exposed to potential Ukrainian strikes after it moved its air defense systems
more detailed to Ukraine following the Feb
24, 2022 intrusion of its neighbor.AFP contributed reporting.