Russia to deploy S-400 air defense missile systems in Leningrad region

Two regiments of the S-400 air defense missile systems will be delivered to the Air Force and Air Defense unit deployed in the Leningrad region in the near future, the head of Russia’s Western Military Command’s press service Igor Muginov told journalists on September 21, TASS reports.

“At this time, military servicemen are preparing to hold an operational readiness exercise at the Ashuluk military station in the Astrakhan region. They are going to engage low-flying aerial, high altitude, evading and ballistic targets… After the operational readiness exercise is completed, the missile complex will be brought into operation so it can be used to protect the aerial borders of North-West Russia,” the officer elaborated.

The S-400 Triumph is a long-range anti-aircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to target aircraft and cruise missiles at a distance of up to 400 km, it is also able to engage ballistic targets flying at the speed of up to 4.8 km per second at a distance of 60 km.

As reported earlier, in 2016 the Russian Army is supposed to receive five regiments of the S-400 systems. Consequently, by the end of the year the Russian military will have 16 regiments armed with these air defense missile systems.