Upgraded Systems
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Russia will have upgraded systems for air defence S-500 enters service Kremlin reacts to Washingtons’s secret ATACMS deliveries as more trouble for Kiev
Russia will further reinforce its air defenses by deploying upgraded systems later this year, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has announced.
The minister made the remarks on Monday as he spoke during a meeting with top Russian commanders. Boosting anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities is a priority for Moscow, Shoigu stated.
An S-500 system during trials. © Sputnik / The Russian Defense Ministry
Deliveries of short-range anti-aircraft Pantsir systems, which boast both missiles and autocannons, will be “expanded nearly twofold” this year, the minister said. He noted that the system has performed exceptionally well in the conflict with Ukraine.
Russian troops will also receive the first advanced S-500 systems, both anti-aircraft and dedicated strategic anti-missile versions, Shoigu revealed. While little is known about the new air defense system, the S-500 is reportedly able to intercept hypersonic missiles and also strike targets in the low Earth orbit, depending on the munition used.
Apart from that, the military is set to several other new systems with various ranges, including the S-400, S-300V4, Buk-M3 and Tor-M2U. The army will also get new-generation radar systems, the minister noted without specifying any exact models.
“The effort to improve air and missile defense will provide high-quality cover for the most important objects of the command and control system, strategic nuclear forces and troop groupings,” Shoigu said.
The Russian military has faced a vast number of aerial threats during the Ukraine conflict, Shoigu noted, revealing that the country’s anti-aircraft forces have brought down more than 30,000 targets during the conflict. Drones account for the vast majority, with more than 22,000 units destroyed, the minister added.
Servicemen of the Russian Air Defense Forces are seen at their workplaces in the combat control vehicle. © Sputnik
The anti-aircraft defenses have also intercepted more than 6,000 munitions launched by various Ukrainian multiple rocket launchers, including over 3,500 projectiles fired by the US-made HIMARS launchers, Shoigu stated.
The “secret” supply by Washington to Ukraine of long-range surface-to-surface ATACMS rockets only spells more trouble for Kiev, Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday.
On Wednesday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed media reports that the US had delivered Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine as part of the arms package announced by President Joe Biden in mid-March. The assistance came as the Biden administration was pressuring the House to approve an additional $60 billion in Ukraine-related security spending. The Pentagon did not mention the missiles at the time.
Peskov mocked the fact that, prior to the confirmation, there was much speculation among the Western press that ATACMS rockets could be included in a pending new shipment of arms, after lawmakers cleared the spending request. The Russian official said the shift in the narrative was fitting what he described as a “predictable” pattern of actions by the West.
”As soon as they start to discuss something particular in detail, it means the delivery is being made,” he said.
The spokesman said it was not Moscow’s job to judge whether the delivery was legal under US law, but assured reporters that the capability of the weapons in question would not impact the outcome of the Ukraine conflict, in which Russia intends to achieve all its national-security goals one way or another.
”We will get what we want. But this [the weapons] will result in more problems for Ukraine,” he predicted.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky previously blamed the suspension of American aid for the series of battlefield setbacks, which his army has experienced since last year. He claims that Kiev has no alternative to beating Russia and achieving what he touts as a “just peace”. Moscow has branded Kiev’s victory goals as detached from reality.
Some officials in the Biden administration are skeptical about the impact of the new spending on the battlefield dynamics, Politico reported on Wednesday.
“There’s lots of debate about what a winning endgame for Ukraine looks like at this point,” an anonymous Democratic source told the outlet.
Source X/RT/Reuters/Telegram
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