The commander of the Southern Military District (YuVO) Alexander Dvornikov in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper said that the air defense units deployed in the south of the Russian Federation, including in the Crimea, are capable of repelling air strikes from all directions.

“A fairly powerful air defense system has been deployed on the southern borders of the Russian Federation, including the Crimean peninsula.

It is capable of repelling the strikes of an air enemy operating from all directions in the entire range of heights and speeds, ”Dvornikov said.

According to him, today all military units of the Southern Military District are equipped with modern mobile weapons, "which allow at any time in any operational direction to quickly create a powerful group that can reliably protect the interests of the Russian Federation."

Combat watch

According to Alexander Dvornikov, the aviation units of the Air Force and Air Defense Association deployed in Crimea are fully equipped with modern operational-tactical and army aviation aircraft.

In addition, the defense of the southern borders of the Russian Federation is provided by the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft systems and the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon systems (ZRPK).

And in the near future, the calculations of the newest medium-range air defense systems S-350 "Vityaz" will take over on combat duty.

In May, Dvornikov reported that the troops of the Southern Military District had received the Vityaz.

Experts interviewed by RT believe that the deployment of these anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) will further strengthen the air defense of Crimea.

Let us remind you that Vityaz replaces individual modifications of the S-300 Favorit systems in the Russian troops.

The S-350 consists of a self-propelled launcher, an all-aspect radar with electronic scanning of space and a command post.

According to the RF Ministry of Defense, "Vityaz" is intended "to protect the most important state, administrative, industrial, military facilities and groupings of troops from the strikes of modern and promising air attack weapons of a potential enemy."

The main "specialization" of the S-350 is the fight against cruise missiles.

According to the calculations of the military, the supply of this air defense system to the military units of the Aerospace Forces and the Navy "will increase the effectiveness of repelling massive attacks of enemy cruise missiles on the most important defense targets by four times."

“The system is capable of performing combat missions for its intended purpose, both independently and as part of air defense-missile defense groupings equipped with S-300, S-400, S-500 systems and other modern and promising air defense systems,” says the materials of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The key advantages of the "Vityaz" military personnel include survivability in various conditions of a combat situation, versatility and increased fire performance.

  • SAM S-350 "Vityaz"

  • RIA News

  • © Ramil Sitdikov

The arsenal of the S-350 is four times larger than the ammunition load of the S-400.

This air defense system uses guided missiles with an active medium and short-range homing head 9M96 and 9M100.

The ammunition is launched from a vertical position and without starting the main engines.

The maximum number of aerodynamic targets simultaneously hit by Vityaz is 16, the maximum number of simultaneously guided missiles is 32, the interception range is from 1.5 to 60 km.

Currently, Pantsir-S and S-400 are deployed in Crimea.

All anti-aircraft missile regiments of the Air Force and Air Defense Army deployed on the peninsula were re-equipped with this anti-aircraft system.

Its cover is carried out by the "Pantsirei" divisions, which have proven to be highly effective in countering UAVs.

In Crimea, regular exercises are held with the participation of S-400 crews.

Most often, military personnel work out the deployment of the complex in new positional areas, the algorithm of actions when receiving information about the approach of enemy aircraft, the detection, identification and destruction of air targets.

According to the military department, "Triumph" is capable of fighting a wide range of air threats: hypersonic aircraft, medium-range ballistic missiles, strategic and tactical aviation, aircraft equipped with jamming and radar detection equipment.

In the future, as Alexander Dvornikov expects, an even more advanced long-range system - the S-500 Prometheus complex - will be deployed in Crimea.

In September, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Yuri Borisov announced the completed state tests of this air defense system and the beginning of deliveries to the troops.

The peculiarity of the S-500 lies in the application of the principle of separate solution of tasks to intercept aerodynamic and ballistic targets.

The system is capable of combating all modifications of hypersonic weapons and warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in the final phase of the flight path.

The exact characteristics of the S-500 were not disclosed.

However, in open sources it is noted that the range of interception of targets at "Prometheus" reaches 600 km.

Thus, the missiles of this system are capable of shooting down low-orbit satellites.

  • Test combat firing of the S-500 at a high-speed ballistic target

  • RIA News

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

As Alexei Podberezkin, director of the MGIMO Center for Military-Political Research, emphasized in an interview with RT, Russia is building and simultaneously improving an echeloned air defense system in Crimea, when air defense systems of various ranges and purposes complement each other.

“For example, the S-400 can intercept aircraft at long ranges.

The S-350 is a medium-range air defense system, especially effective for repelling a massive attack by cruise missiles, aviation and drones.

I think that our potential adversary is really not capable of breaking through such a “multi-layered pie,” noted Podberezkin.

"The likelihood of provocations"

Experts believe that the measures to strengthen the air defense of Crimea are dictated by the need to cover the strategically important facilities of the peninsula: the naval base in Sevastopol, airfields, command posts and a transport crossing through the Kerch Strait.

In addition, the improvement of the grouping of air defense systems in Crimea is also associated with the tense military-political situation in the Black Sea region due to the anti-Russian activities of Ukraine and Western states, Podberezkin explained.

The expert called the increase in NATO's military presence in the Black Sea as the most serious challenge.

As Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in the release of the program “Moscow.

Kremlin.

Putin "on the air of the TV channel" Russia 1 ", ships of non-regional powers equipped with long-range high-precision weapons regularly enter the Black Sea.

All of them are taken to be escorted by the Navy.

Only recently, under the pretext of supporting allies and partners, the command ship Mount Whitney and the destroyer Porter, equipped with Tomahawk missiles, entered the Black Sea.

The movement of both naval platforms is controlled by the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

This year, the most resonant provocation in the Black Sea was carried out by the British destroyer Defender.

On June 23, he crossed the state border of the Russian Federation near the Balaklava region of Sevastopol, ignoring the warnings of the Russian side.

The FSB ship had to carry out warning fire, and the Su-24M aircraft had to carry out warning bombing along the Defender's course.

After that, the destroyer left the territorial waters of the Russian Federation.

“The weapons carried by NATO destroyers entering the Black Sea pose a serious threat to the security of Crimea and the rest of the south of the Russian Federation.

Russia responds quite adequately to these calls - it controls the movement of destroyers and strengthens the grouping of air defense weapons.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of provocations remains high, ”Podberezkin stated.

  • Uss mount whitney

  • Twitter

  • © @USNavyEurope

Dmitry Litovkin, editor of the newspaper Nezavisimoye Voennoe Obozreniye, expressed a similar point of view in the RT commentary.

According to him, by strengthening the Crimean air defense system and the Black Sea Fleet, Moscow makes the NATO states understand that it is ready to fend off aggression of any scale.

According to the expert, Crimea can be considered one of the most protected regions of Russia.

However, due to the increased military presence of the alliance on the peninsula, it is necessary to strengthen the air defense system.

“The situation is such that Crimea has practically become a besieged fortress.

Russia is constantly accused of militarizing the peninsula, but in reality, when we observe an increased intensity of foreign reconnaissance flights and calls by NATO ships, it is more correct to talk about an absolutely justified build-up of defensive potential, ”Litovkin summed up.