Partisans uncover air defense guarding Putin's Sochi retreat

Partisans from the Atesh resistance movement have discovered an air defense system that protects Putin's residence in Sochi. A video published online allows for an accurate estimation of the exact location of the Pantsir-S1 complex protecting Putin's estate. For Ukrainians, this is valuable information should they decide to launch an attack.

The Atesh partisan movement has long been active on the territory of the Russian Federation, reporting valuable details for Ukrainians regarding the actions taken by the Russians. Recently, the partisans have reported that the defense industry in the aggressor country is facing increasing problems due to severe sanctions imposed by the West.

In recent weeks, the Atesh group has also repeatedly reported on disturbing movements of Russian troops – including searching for new places to store ammunition and equipment after increasingly bold Ukrainian attacks in March of this year. The partisans also reported on the mass relocation of Su-30 fighters belonging to the Russian Federation in recent months.

This time, partisans from the Atesh resistance movement report another discovery. As mentioned on platform X, the agents managed to find the Pantsir-S1 air defense system near Putin's summer residence in Sochi by the Black Sea.

Considering that the Pantsir-S1 system is one of the more popular complexes that Russians choose to protect the most important buildings in the country (including critical infrastructure, government buildings, etc.), it is not surprising that Pantsir was found near Putin's residence in Sochi.

The history of the Pantsir dates back to the 1980s when the Soviet Army began searching for a new short-range air defense system. Although the 9K330 Tor system was used effectively until then, it had limitations due to its tracked traction and was also expensive to operate.

The first prototypes of the Pantsir-S1 system were created in 1994. The manufacturer used the chassis of Kamaz-6560, BAZ-6309, or MAN SX45 trucks to build this weapon. The crew of the Pantsir consists of three people, but due to the presence of radars and a fire control system, the complex can operate fully autonomously without the crew.

The utility of the Russian air defense system is significant – the Pantsir-S1 protects against fire conducted by airplanes and helicopters, and it is also capable of intercepting precision weapons moving at a speed of up to 3,280 feet per second, or about 2,237 miles per hour. One Pantsir-S1 system can control a maximum of 12 objects, and its radar covers an area up to 12 miles away. The maximum interception altitude of threats by Pantsir-S1 is 9 miles.

The threat fire in this weapon system is handled by two 30mm caliber 2A38 automatic anti-aircraft guns with a rate of fire reaching 2,500 rounds per minute. Additionally, the Pantsir-S1 has 12 anti-aircraft missiles, 67E6 or 57E6E, in two sections of six pieces each. They can fire at two objects simultaneously.