# 1st Special Purpose Air and Missile Defense Army

The 1st Order of Lenin Special Purpose Air and Missile Defences Forces Army (Russian: 1-я ордена Ленина армия противовоздушной и противоракетной обороны особого назначения) is a military formation of the Russian Air and Missile Defense Forces (Russian Aerospace Defence Forces) tasked with defending assets of high strategic value in Russia, primarily the Moscow region and its surroundings where much of the military leadership is located together with a large part of the Russian population centers. The unit is the only one equipped with the A-135M anti-ballistic missile system.
It traces its history through the Moscow Air Defence District and the Special Purpose Command. The Moscow Air Defence District was awarded the Order of Lenin on 22 June 1968.
Moscow Defence Brief wrote regarding the reorganisation of 2011:
   "The Air Defense and Missile Defense Command is headed by the former deputy commander of the Air Force in charge of Air Defense, Maj. Gen. Sergei Popov. The Command includes the 9th Missile Defense Division (the A-135 system, with an HQ in Sofrino) and three missile defense brigades stationed in Moscow region; all three — the 4th (Dolgoprudnyy), the 5th (Vidnoye) and the 6th (Rzhev) — were previously part of the Air Force’s ASD Operational Strategic Command."
As of 2021 the commander of the unit was Lieutenant General Andrei Demin. Sometime prior to 2023, the command passed to Major General Konstantin Ogienko, who was relieved of command in July 2023 over a bribery investigation.
On 7 September 2023, Ogienko, the officer formerly in charge of Moscow air defense was arrested for bribery according to RIA Novosti.
Its headquarters is in Balashikha, Moscow Oblast.

## Challenges during conflict

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces began conducting strikes within Russia. In May 2023 the 2023 Kremlin drone explosion occurred and on 30 May a number of drones attacked Moscow. Moscow was subject to several drone strikes. At least eight drones were involved in the attacks. Five of the drones were shot down by air missiles, the other three were suppressed by electronic warfare systems. Russia blamed Ukraine.

## Equipment

To defend the airspace above Moscow from as many types of threats as possible the unit operates air defense systems with varying specific purpose:
* A-135M anti-ballistic missile system
* S-400 radar and missile system
* S-300PM2 radar and missile system
* Pantsir-S medium range missile system

## Structure

Structure of the formation as of 2023:
* 4th Air Defence Division "Hero of the Soviet Union Lt.-Gen. B. P. Kirpikov" (ru:4-я дивизия ПВО имени Героя Советского Союза генерал-лейтенанта Б.П. Кирпикова) (Dolgoprudny, Moscow Oblast, Military Unit No. 52116, armed with the S-300PM/PS and the S-400 missile systems)
* 5th Air Defence Division (ru:5-я дивизия ПВО) (Petrovskoe, Moscow Oblast, Military Unit No. 52096, armed with the S-300PM and the S-400 missile systems)
* 9th Anti-Ballistic Missile Defence Division (ru:9-я дивизия ПРО) (Sofrino, Moscow Oblast, Military Unit No. 75555, armed with the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system)
** 900th Command Center (Military Unit No. 20007)
** 164th Command and Computing Center (Military Unit No. 52361, using 5K80)
** 102nd Anti Missile Center (Military Unit No. 48701)
** 15th Anti Missile Complex (Military Unit No. 51087)
** 16th Anti Missile Complex (Military Unit No. 51086)
** 49th Anti Missile Complex (Military Unit No. 51084)
** 50th Anti Missile Complex (Military Unit No. 51085)
** 89th Anti Missile Complex (Military Unit No. 51089)
** 34th Communications Regiment (Military Unit No. 12517)
** 482th Communications Unit (Military Unit No. 03523, using the Don-2N radar)
** 572nd Communications Unit (Military Unit No. 03863, using the Don-2N radar)
** 1876th Technical Base (Military Unit No. 02014)

## Commanders

* General-mayor Leonid Tishkevichi [Тишкевич], 01.06.2009 — 10.2010;
* General-lieutenant Valery Ivanov, 2010 — 08.11.2011;
* General-mayor Sergei Popov 2011–2013;
* General-lieutenant Pavel Kurachenko, 03.2013 — 02.12.2013;
* General-lieutenant Andrei Demin, 02.12.2013 - 2021
* General-mayor Konstantin Ogienko