(MOSCOW, RUSSIA) – Russian media is highlighting a new trend in domestic security, showcasing commercial anti-drone cages and netting designed to protect buildings from aerial attack. In his latest press review, BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg noted that many viewers spotted an unusual photograph in one of the Russian papers from his video the previous day. He did not refer to it directly, but numerous people saw it and asked, “What on earth was it?”
The image appeared in the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets. It depicted an anti-drone cage and netting to protect against a drone attack. The headline described it as “a house inside a little anti-drone house.” Quite a lot of companies now offer to construct a metal frame with anti-drone nets around facilities, which should reduce the risk of damage. For a house of these dimensions, the cost is around 7.5 million rubles, approximately $87,000 or £70,000.
In Kommersant, another option to protect critical infrastructure was presented. This one is called “Spiderweb.” The system is designed to guard key facilities from aerial threats. Meanwhile, Vesti reported as its top story that the outflow of Russian money abroad has doubled. Russians have doubled their transfers abroad since the beginning of the year, according to central bank data.
The Russian papers continue to wonder why the CIA director flew to Russia on Tuesday on a C-17 Globemaster III. What did John Ratcliffe discuss in Moscow? Komsomolskaya Pravda lists the theories which everyone has been talking about, including that the CIA director may have delivered a warning to the Kremlin.
A political pundit told the paper, “For Ratcliffe, this was an urgent trip, an unscheduled visit. Why? Do you remember? First, the Russian Defense Ministry published lists of factories that churn out drones for Kiev. Then, in a meeting at the general staff, the commander-in-chief Putin ordered several scenarios drawn up for a response.”
The pundit added, “It’s possible that US intelligence got hold of one of those scenarios and the Americans decided to hold urgent consultations with the Kremlin.” The paper concluded, “Whatever the reason for the trip, the visit of a CIA chief is not a sign of peace and not a sign of war. It’s a sign that normal channels are no longer effective and the heavy artillery is required.”
The same paper noted, “Incomprehensible to the general public, this event has been interpreted in many different ways. No hard and fast conclusions here.”
Moskovsky Komsomolets attempted to knock down one of the theories dominant in the West that John Ratcliffe warned Russian officials not to escalate against US NATO allies, particularly Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. There is a suspicion that the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, unable to achieve his aims in Ukraine, would escalate and attack the Baltic states.
The paper argued that such a move would be strategically illogical, stating it would be “the same as if you can’t lift a dumbbell with two hands, then let go with one hand, grab another dumbbell and try to lift both dumbbells at once.”
In other news, Komsomolskaya Pravda reports that the longtime host of Russian state TV’s flagship news of the week programme, Dmitri Kiselyov, is leaving the show after 14 years. He has been replaced by Yevgeny Popov. Mr. Kiselyov, well known for his anti-Western tirades, will present a much shorter programme called “Kiselyov.”
Finally, the review turned to the joke section of Moskovsky Komsomolets, which featured a comment about Russia’s petrol problems. The paper joked, “Oil prices are falling, but we have succeeded in avoiding a fall in the price of petrol.”
A second joke appeared in Komsomolskaya Pravda, requiring an explanation that Russians have two different passports: an internal passport and a passport they use for foreign trips. The observation stated, “Photos in passports used for trips abroad look just that little bit happier than photos in internal passports.”
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