Ukraine is concerned about the deployed of modern Russian long-range surface-to-air missile systems in the illegally-annexed Crimea.
According to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov, the Russian S-400 advanced air-defense systems in Crimea is a serious security threat to Ukraine.
“The S-400 air-defense systems can hit any aerial targets in the central part of Ukraine. All this is a serious threat for us,” Oleksandr Turchynov said in a recent interview with Kyiv’s Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
Russia’s S-400 (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is the latest long-range antiaircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles, and surface targets. The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of 400 kilometers and at an altitude of up to 30 kilometers.
Russia deploys its S-400 in the Crimea since August 12, 2016, and gradually increases their presence. The S-400 in Crimea is able to primarily control the airspace over the peninsula itself, but also part of the territory of Ukraine, where numbers of big cities and military bases are located.
Russian surface-to-air missile systems in the illegally-annexed Crimea could present a significant challenge for forces operating in the Black Sea as for Ukrainian Army or NATO’s troops.
