The Russian armed forces have deployed their only regiment of long-range S-500 air defense systems to protect the bridge over the Kerch Strait that connects the Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia, the media reported. . This situation, they highlight, reflects fears in Moscow that Ukraine and its Western allies will attempt a maneuver to intensify attacks on Russia.
These reports follow confirmation in late December that the military formed its first full regiment equipped with S-500 long-range air defense systems, marking a major milestone in plans to deploy them across the country. according to the same medium.
Although each regiment of the former S-400 air defense system has 16 surface-to-air missile launchers along with mobile radars and associated command centers, the number of launchers in each S-500 regiment, which entered service in 2021, is unknown, after more than half a decade of delays.
This is the world’s first mobile surface-to-air missile system with anti-satellite and anti-ICBM capabilities and is valued for its powerful sensors, which facilitate a detection range of 800 km, an unsurpassed firing range of 600 km and its ability to intercept hypersonic targets at high speeds.
The head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, announced in June that the Russian armed forces had deployed elements of the S-500 system in the city of Kerch, near the disputed Crimean peninsula, according to the publication.
After Washington’s green light to strike deeper into Russian-claimed territory, there was widespread speculation that Ukrainian forces, operating with significant support from Western advisers on ground and air and space intelligence assets, would attempt to attack the Kerch Strait.
The concentration of S-500 systems to protect the bridge that crosses the strait also highlights the impact that serious delays in deliveries have had, since the systems were originally planned to protect the main cities and strategic locations in the Arctic and the Pacific.
