Moscow. March 17. INTERFAX-A new generation of S-500 long-range anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs), as well as new S-350 medium-range air defense systems, can be deployed in Crimea and other regions of southern Russia, said Army General Alexander Dvornikov, Commander of the Southern Military District.
"The arrival of the latest S-500 and S-350 air defense systems into the service of our Air Force and air Defense army can also happen at any time as part of its retrofitting, "Dvornikov said in an interview with the Russian Defense Ministry's Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, answering the question whether Crimea and other southern regions of the Russian Federation are priority for the arrival of S - 500 systems.
"To date, the air defense units in the territory of Crimea are armed with modern S-400 air defense systems of 2016 and 2017. Modernization of such new complexes, of course, is not required, " Dvornikov said.
As reported by Interfax, the Russian military has significantly strengthened the group in Crimea over the past few years. The military said that in 2024, near Sevastopol, the creation of a new radar station of the missile attack warning system will be completed.
In November 2018, the fourth division of the S-400 Triumph air defense system went on combat duty in Dzhankoy in the north of Crimea. Dzhankoy is located about 30 km from the border with Ukraine. Earlier, the Russian military put three S-400 divisions on combat duty in the Crimea: in January 2017 in Feodosia, in January 2018 in Sevastopol and in September 2018 in Yevpatoria.
The commander said that the Southern Military District is a priority in terms of equipping with modern weapons.
"A fairly powerful air defense system has been deployed on the southern borders of the Russian Federation, including the Crimean peninsula. It is able to repel the attacks of an air enemy operating from all directions in the entire range of heights and speeds, " he said.
The S-500 Prometheus is a long-range air defense system. The start of deliveries of the S-500 to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 2021 was previously announced by the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Alexey Krivoruchko and the head of the state corporation "Rostec" Sergey Chemezov.
Earlier, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Sergei Surovikin, said that the S-500 will be able to destroy satellites and hypersonic weapons of all modifications in near space.
It was reported that the S-500 is being developed by JSC "Concern of East Kazakhstan Region "Almaz-Antey" as a new generation of anti-aircraft missile systems, which is supposed to apply the principle of separate solutions to the destruction of ballistic and aerodynamic targets.
S-350 "Vityaz" is a mobile multi-channel medium-range air defense system. It is designed to protect state, industrial, military facilities and groups of troops from the attacks of modern and promising means of air attack. The system is capable of destroying air targets at ranges of more than 120 km and at altitudes of more than 30 km. The time to bring the complex into combat readiness from the march does not exceed 5 minutes.
