Russia has deployed a Pantsir-S missile and anti-aircraft artillery batallion to Crimea, according to the press service of the Russian Southern Military District.
"The newest [Pantsir-S] air defence systems have entered service among the anti-aircraft missile units of the Southern Military District deployed in Crimea […] as part of the programme to re-equip the district's troops," the press service said.
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The deployment, which came after Pantsir-S's live-fire drills at the Kapustin Yar test site, followed the fourth battalion of S-400 missile systems being put into active service in the Crimean town of Dzhankoy near the border with Ukraine.
Earlier this week, S-400 batteries were deployed near the Crimean cities of Feodosia, Sevastopol and Yevpatoria.
The Pantsir-S and S-400 deployment comes after three Ukrainian ships illegally crossed into Russian territorial waters, attempting to enter the Kerch Strait, the entrance to the Sea of Azov, without Russian permission.
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The Pantsir-S system boasts the latest air defence technology, using phased-array radars for both target acquisition and tracking.
The system is armed with a pair of dual 2AQ38M 30 mm automatic cannons and up to twelve 57Eb-E two-stage solid fuel radio-command-guided surface-to-air missiles capable of hitting targets up to 20 kilometres away and at altitudes of up to 15 kilometres.
