Russia Likely to Operate 'S-300' in Syria by March

An S-300 air defense missile system. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Russian media reported that the S-300 missile system, delivered by Moscow to Syria in October 2018, will begin operating in March.

It said that within two months Syrian military personnel will have finished their training to use and control the advanced missile system.

The recent Israeli missile strike on Syria has sparked many debates in Russian media due to widespread criticism of the ineffectiveness of Russian-manufactured air defences, which are currently deployed in Syria.

The Syrian army has announced that its air defences dropped a large number of missiles that targeted Syrian sites, which was also confirmed in a statement by the Russian Defence Ministry.

However, data reported by media in Syria and Israel indicated that the air defences were ineffective and that Israel succeeded in destroying the Pantsir missile launchers, which Moscow was boasting that they were capable of countering any aerial targets.

Meanwhile, Russian media focused Tuesday on the reason behind the delay in operating “S-300” system, three months after its transfer to Syria.

Syrian S-300 crews are still not ready to operate the S-300 air defence system on their own, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported.

The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that Syrians will be prepared to use those systems by March 2019 and not earlier, after completing all necessary training.

It pointed out that one battalion of the S-300 air defence system batteries will be used to protect Damascus and its surroundings.

Member of the Defense and Security Committee of Russia's Federation Council Frants Klintsevich said that Israeli warplanes can still direct their attacks because they are out of reach of the Syrian Air Defense system], but after the deployment of the S-300 no one will be able to escape it.

Kommersant also noted that Moscow ignored the Israeli strikes and made no official comments on the attack.

Citing sources, the newspaper stated that Russia is not going to change its current attitude towards Israeli strikes on Syria if no targets near Russian personnel are hit.