A Russian Pantsir-S air defense crew destroyed three Flamingo cruise missiles during a Ukrainian attack on the Moscow region overnight from September 19 to 20, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The ministry released footage showing the system in action.

In the video, the crew commander, using the call sign Barnaul, said the system detected a high-speed aerial target late at night. After locking onto it, the crew identified the object as a cruise missile and destroyed it.

Izvestia military correspondent Alexander Safiulin described the episode as the first known attempt by Ukrainian forces to use Flamingo missiles against the Russian capital. According to him, the missiles flew at an extremely low altitude of around 50–100 meters in an effort to penetrate air defenses.

Safiulin noted that the Pantsir-S is only one component of the layered air defense network protecting Moscow and the Moscow region. He said the system carries 10 missiles of different types along with two 30-caliber automatic guns and can engage targets at ranges of up to 40 kilometers.

The journalist also said Russian forces had studied the tactics used by the Ukrainian side and adjusted the work of air defense units accordingly.

On the night of September 20, Moscow faced what was described as the largest drone attack since the start of the special military operation. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said more than 1,600 UAVs were destroyed across all defensive lines over the course of the day, including 450 on approach to the capital.

Sobyanin also said the attack had been planned by Ukraine’s military and political leadership in an attempt to disrupt State Duma elections, but that the effort had failed.