Ukrainian partisans from the Atesh resistance movement have reported a sabotage operation deep inside Russia, claiming they burned a military air defence communications tower in Moscow Oblast. The action was announced on social media by Atesh on Sunday, Jan. 11, as part of their ongoing campaign against Russian military infrastructure
According to the partisan statement, the destroyed tower served as a communications and command hub for elements of the 5th Air Defence Division of Russia’s Aerospace Forces. It reportedly provided secure radio communications and housed electronic surveillance and signal interception equipment critical for exchanging information and coordinating air defence units in the region.
Atesh said that damaging this communications centre would weaken Russia’s air defence capabilities in central parts of the country by disrupting coordination, command links, and intelligence gathering. The group framed the attack as proof that resistance operations could strike well beyond frontline areas, undermining what Moscow considers its “safe rear.
Independent verification of the timing and exact location of the footage accompanying the claim has not been confirmed by external sources. Nonetheless, the report aligns with a growing pattern of sabotage and insurgent actions attributed to Ukrainian partisan networks operating inside Russia and near border regions.
The Atesh movement has been linked to numerous alleged operations targeting Russian military and logistical infrastructure, including previous sabotage of communications and supply networks in regions such as Kursk and Rostov Oblast, according to media reports.
