One more battalion of Russia’s S-400 Triumph air defence missile systems will be put into active service in Crimea before the end of 2018, the Russian Southern Military District spokesman, Col. Vadim Astafyev, told reporters.
‘In the near future, the new system will be put on combat duty to protect Russian airspace and replace the previous air defence system’, Astafyev said, adding that this would take place by the end of the year, albeit without mentioning the place of deployment.
The move comes amid an escalation of tensions between Ukraine and Russia after the incident, involving Ukrainian vessels illegally crossing the Russian border at Kerch Strait.