INTL Developments in Russia

jward

passin' thru
Granger
@GrangerE04117


#Russian #Navy #Mediterranean: Just as suspected, all seagoing assets of the Mediterranean detachment of the Russian Navy based in Tartus is deployed to monitor on the movements of CSG21 in the Eastern Mediterranean.
View: https://twitter.com/GrangerE04117/status/1409014514100539394?s=20


The squadron is comprised of:
2 x Imp. Kilo (Project 636.3)
1 x Buyan-M (Project 21631)
1 x Vasiliy Bykov (Project 22160)
1 x Admiral Makarov (Project 11356)
Reinforced recently by Moskva (Project 1164 missile cruiser) and Admiral Essen (Project 11356)
 

Techwreck

Veteran Member
I hope when we get them to fight that there are no inter-anything, hypersonic or instadigital surprises.

But we have Austin intently focused, (on trans and homo promo and white supremacy eradication), so, no worries there.

Biden is the big-guy mastermind backing it all up with, you know, the big boomy things, man.

Pelosi and Cacklealala as double secret corruptis continuous.

The Good Lord must have quite a sense of humor.
 
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northern watch

TB Fanatic
As Russian Military Prepares for Zapad 2021, Heavy Armed Forces Stay Close to Ukraine
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 104
By: Roger McDermott

June 30, 2021 07:30 PM Age: 24 hours
Russian-military-exercise-640x360.jpg

In April, Russia’s Ministry of Defense ordered units to move from their permanent bases to positions close to the border with Ukraine, provoking widespread concern about the rising tensions between Moscow and Kyiv (see EDM, April 8). Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu later announced that these units were ordered back to their bases. However, it quickly became apparent that more than 80 percent of the personnel involved, along with their heavy equipment, remained in position (see EDM, May 12).

On June 2, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Moscow had withdrawn around 10,000 troops from the border with Ukraine. “Hence, Russia is only declaring in words the withdrawal of its forces and the fulfillment of its obligations. In total, only about 10,000 servicemen have been withdrawn,” Zelenskyy said during a meeting with a United States Congressional delegation. The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Ruslan Khomchak, stated, “The leadership of the Russian Federation continues to implement its plans for aggression against Ukraine. The enemy is keeping a group of Russian Armed Forces in the border areas of Voronezh, Belgorod, [and] Rostov regions and in the temporarily occupied Crimea” (UNIAN, June 2).

The increased Russian military presence, both in terms of equipment and personnel, close to the border with Ukraine remains ongoing one month later. And this will likely last until and possibly beyond the annual operational-strategic exercise Zapad 2021, scheduled for September 10–16. The joint Belarusian-Russian military exercise, which is staged every four years, will include the rehearsal of Russian-led operations against North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces.

The preparations for Zapad 2021 are far advanced, with the intensification of the summer combat training period across Russia focusing on the culmination of these events in the Zapad exercise. Shoigu characterized the force buildup that occurred in April as a snap inspection of combat readiness, aimed at preparing forces for the Zapad exercise.
“It is important to determine the optimal workload for each young specialist, taking into account the actual level of his training and fitness. I would like to note that the current crew training system made it possible to successfully solve all the tasks assigned to the aviation formations during the April surprise check of combat readiness,” Shoigu said at a meeting of the defense ministry’s collegium (Tvzvezda.ru, June 1).

Despite the claims made every four years by the defense ministries in Minsk and Moscow that no more than 12,500 personnel are involved in accordance with the 2011 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Vienna Document, the military leaderships in both capitals routinely suggest each Zapad exercise will be “large-scale” or “massive.” And the continued presence of Russian forces in close proximity to Ukraine appears to be consistent with the planned scale of Zapad 2021. According to Shoigu, the exercise will involve a “difficult air situation,” with the Russian Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno Kosmicheskikh Sil—VKS) rehearsing operations in the Eastern Military District (MD). Such VKS training is already underway across the entire national system of Joint Strategic Commands (Obyedinennyye Strategicheskoye Komandovanie—OSK)/MDs (Tvzvezda.ru, June 1).

Shoigu also stated that as of early June, the joint preparations for Zapad 2021 entered their active phase. In addition to further joint planning meetings, the Special Forces of both countries will begin to train for the exercise. Based on Moscow’s initiative, the Zapad exercise will involve a single operational-strategic background. According to Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, the exercise scenario will involve potential escalation of the military-political situation against the “conditional state.” Also, the exercise will involve the use of joint assault forces to conduct urban warfare (Izvestia, May 31).

Another feature of Zapad 2021, which may in fact directly relate to the continued force buildup close to Ukraine, relates to the rehearsal of the “hidden deployment of troops.” Colonel General Aleksandr Zhuravlev, the commander of the Western OSK/MD, addressed this issue, saying that within the Zapad exercise framework, several vignettes in the overall scenario will be played out. This will include, among other elements, the covert deployment of a force grouping. Zhuravlev also said that attention will be paid to the role of battalion tactical groups during “non-standard” actions to repel enemy air and ground strikes. Zhuravlev emphasized that the forces involved in Zapad 2021 will be encouraged to avoid stereotypes and develop “unconventional thinking,” using “non-standard” methods among officers solving and performing the set tasks (Topwar.ru, June 11).

Zapad 2021 will draw on Russia’s recent experience of armed conflicts. It will witness joint efforts by forces from Belarus and Russia to repel enemy air attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and cruise missiles—a now-standard element in the Zapad series of military exercises. Moreover, the joint forces will work on the impact of fires and electronic warfare (EW) against the adversary, the use of tactical airborne units, and the ability of officers to switch rapidly from one type of combat to another. The Zapad exercise plan was agreed in October 2020 at the joint Russian-Belarusian defense ministry’s collegium (Topwar.ru, June 11).

During a recent working trip to Minsk, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova said the Zapad exercise will be used to test a new system of financing the Armed Forces in wartime. Shevtsova noted that modern wars are significantly different from the wars of the past, with diverse geopolitical, informational and or hybrid forms. In this regard, together with Russia’s General Staff, the Ministry of Finance, the National Center for Defense Management, the Federal Treasury and the Bank of Russia, documents were developed on the necessities of financial support for the Russian military in wartime. “For the first time, this system is planned to be tested on a full-scale within the framework of the Zapad strategic exercises,” Shevtsova added (RIA Novosti, June 18).

Shoigu links the force buildup close to Ukraine’s border with the need to check the combat readiness of some of the forces involved in the Zapad exercise. Additionally, the buildup, which has not resulted in a full withdrawal of these units from their forward positions near the border areas, sends a strong signal to Kyiv and its Western supporters: namely, that Moscow can choose to escalate the Donbas conflict at any time.

As Russian Military Prepares for Zapad 2021, Heavy Armed Forces Stay Close to Ukraine - Jamestown
 
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jward

passin' thru
Russia-China the Endgame - TheAltWorld
Finian Cunningham

6-7 minutes


The consolidation of the Russia-China alliance this week spells the endgame for Western imperialism and the never-ending wars that it spawns.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s leader Xi Jinping celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship, first signed in July 2001. The hallmark of that historic accord is a mutual commitment to peace, prosperity and global stability.
As Putin commented, the alliance between Russia and China is a vital source of “stability at a time of increasing geopolitical turbulence”. The latter remark is an oblique reference to the US-led Western states which are driven by ratcheting up antagonism and tensions with Moscow and Beijing using all sorts of spurious complaints.

The attempt by Washington (whether Republican or Democrat) and its Western minions to make trouble with Russia and China has become almost frenetic. Step back from the daily headlines in Western media and it is glaring just how much the agenda has become irrationally hostile towards Moscow and Beijing. Week after week there are unfounded allegations about aggression, security threats, cybercrime, interference, Covid-19, and so on. It’s like a mad cacophony to wind up tensions. Nevertheless, the deranged attitude of Western ruling cliques is but the death throes of a world order that has reached its expiration.
Russia and China’s partnership has hugely transformative geopolitical significance. Both these giant nations straddle the continents of Asia and Europe, connecting the Pacific with the Atlantic, ranging from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. Both are committed to a vision of a multipolar world where nations cooperate for mutual development. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) linking Eurasia with Africa and the Americas is the vision of the future, and Russia is a key partner in implementing that ambitious win-win project for global peace and prosperity.

This vision stands in stark contrast to the prevailing Western capitalist paradigm which operates through dominance, control and exploitation for American and European profiteering. That kind of centuries-old system necessarily involves imperialist conduct whereby natural resources of foreign nations are commandeered by brute military force, conflict, subjugation, subterfuge, skulduggery and other machinations.
The multipolar vision of global relations advocated by Russia and China is the nemesis of the Western imperialist system. And that explains why the Americans and their European vassals make every effort to demonize and distort Russia and China.
But the geopolitical potential of Russia and China is unstoppable. There is a force of natural justice that all nations will inevitably subscribe to as the only reasonable, feasible and sustainable way forward. It’s about people-centered development versus profit-driven disorder.

Moreover, the partnership between Russia and China is a geographer’s wonder study. Russia is the world’s largest national territory by landmass. With over 17 million square kilometers, it covers 11 time zones out of the world’s total of 24. The abundance of natural resources that Russia possesses is astounding, from reserves of natural gas, oil, metals and minerals, to forestry, agriculture and fisheries. It also can boast of highly advanced technology in multiple sectors. And it shares a long land border with China for easing trade.
Meanwhile, China has a population of 1.4 billion people, ten times that of Russia. With highly advanced technology and manufacturing, China is not only a vast market for Russian resources, it is also a gateway to the world economy. China has already become the world’s biggest economy over the United States according to some measures.
The US and Europe are post-industrial economies that are also post-peak of their prime. Their “prime” was always based on an extractive predatory relationship with the rest of the world that was predicated on inflicting conflict and poverty on others.

As China and Russia build on their strategic partnership for mutual prosperity and peace the upshot will inevitably entail the endgame for Western imperial powers which are atrophying from massive inequality, indebtedness, moral decadence and social decay.
Fortunately, too, and this is crucial, Russia and China have military defenses from new generations of hypersonic weaponry that make them impregnable against any warmongering notions by the United States. A failing empire like the US and its Western satellites is always a dangerous time as it tries to prevent the inevitable collapse, but starting a war with Russia and China is not an option.
Russia-China the Endgame

author.jpg

Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Master’s graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. Winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromising Integrity in Journalism (2019).
Posted for fair use
 

jward

passin' thru
Putin approves decree allowing Russian military to block Kerch Strait

Thursday, July 1, 2021 1:00:00 PM




In a decree published on the Kremlin’s website, Russian President Vladimir Putin has allowed the Russian military to block the territories and waters around protected facilities to stop attempts of illegal infiltration.

The explanatory note to the document says that the Russian National Guard protects the waters of the Kerch Strait, the bridge over it and the water area around the Russian power grid link with Crimea.

In addition, according to Putin's decree, the military can cordon these areas during attempts of "illegal crossing and infiltration" into the surrounding water area and attempts to leave it.

On June 23, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military allegedly fired warning shots on the British destroyer HMS Defender, which entered the "Russian territorial waters" in the Black Sea.

British authorities said the destroyer made a peaceful passage through Ukraine's territorial waters in accordance with international law and there were no warning shots fired.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the decision to allow HMS Defender to pass near Crimea was made by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Kerch Strait, Putin, Ukraine, Crimea

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Putin approves decree allowing Russian military to block Kerch Strait




 

jward

passin' thru
Kremlin warns of consequences if Ukraine joins NATO

Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:00:39 PM




The Kremlin believes that Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO can increase tensions throughout Europe.

"The push towards NATO, on the contrary, can add more instability to the entire European continent," said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov in an interview with Channel 1, TASS reports.

According to Peskov, Ukraine's desire to join the Alliance " can undermine the prospects for normalization of relations" between Moscow and Kyiv and "add a lot of tension around our borders."

Peskov added that for the Russian president "this is a very big, deep concern."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmyrtro Kuleba believes that Ukraine will join NATO faster than the European Union.

Fyodor Venislavsky, MP from the Servant of the People party, did not rule out that NATO military bases will be created in Ukraine before it joins the Alliance.

NATO, Ukraine, Peskov
Kremlin warns of consequences if Ukraine joins NATO
 

artichoke

Greetings from near tropical NYC!
Dmitry Stefanovich
@KomissarWhipla


TASS source claims that there was a succesful test launch of a "unique ballistic missile" developed by MIT (Solomonov, solid fuel) from Plesetsk in mid-June. Despite the TASS piece mentioning ICBM, I think "unique"=\="intercontinental".

MIght be Sirena-M. Or Anchar-RV?...
View: https://twitter.com/KomissarWhipla/status/1409423379283726341?s=20
MIT, as in Massachusetts Institute of Technology? I haven't heard of another MIT, and ours is well known over there.
 

Techwreck

Veteran Member
Their MIT if not mistaken, no good with russkie.
Still thinking real red lines about to get crossed.
They are the true NFAC, as opposed to the fbi poser group (african not f'ckn around coalition).
Can the Fed Resrve cash hypersonic reality checks?
 

CELLO

Veteran Member
MIT, as in Massachusetts Institute of Technology? I haven't heard of another MIT, and ours is well known over there.

Supposedly my great grandfather attended "Massachusetts Institute of Taxidermy" right around the turn of the century 1900. I never tried to verify (I trusted my grandma!), but taxidermy was definitely his hobby.
 

jward

passin' thru
Putin: Zelensky has placed Ukraine under external management

Wednesday, June 30, 2021 1:00:00 PM




Russian President Vladimir Putin said he did not see any urgency in meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky but did not refuse it.


"Why meet with Zelensky, if he gave his country under full external management. Key issues of Ukraine's life are solved not in Kyiv, but in Washington, partly - in Berlin and Paris. What's there to talk about? Nevertheless, I do not refuse meetings of this kind, we just need to understand what to talk about," Putin said during the annual TV program "Direct Line with Putin".


On June 14, in an interview with Western media, Zelensky said that a meeting with Putin was "inevitable."


On April 20, the Ukrainian President invited Putin to meet anywhere in the Donbas. The Russian President said in response that Zelensky should first hold peace talks with the leaders of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s republics, and if he wants to talk about Russian-Ukrainian relations, he can come to Moscow at any time. Zelensky called this condition unacceptable. According to him, he wants to meet with Putin, “not with terrorists”.


Subsequently, the media reported that Zelensky and Putin could meet in Jerusalem.


At the end of May, the Kremlin said that contacts regarding the possible meeting of Russian and Ukrainian presidents are continuing, but the timing of such a meeting has not yet been determined.


The last time Zelensky met with the Russian president was in 2019 at the Normandy Four summit.

 

jward

passin' thru
defence-blog.com

Russia deploys Su-35S heavy fighters to Kamchatka peninsula
By Dylan Malyasov

2 minutes


Russian Armed Forces are to deploy an additional fighter squadron on the Kamchatka peninsula, according to local media.

Russia has sent a “squadron” of Sukhoi Su-35 “Flanker-E” heavy fighter jets to the 1250km-long Kamchatka peninsula located in the country’s Far East.
Bordering the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka is one of the most important outposts in the region where the interests of the United States, China and Japan collide.

Russian media said that Su-35S fighters will join MiG-31 interceptors of the Russian Pacific Fleet’s 317th Composite Aviation Regiment at Yelizovo airfield. The regiment currently operates two squadrons of MiG-31B and MiG-31BS aircraft, two squadrons of Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, a squadron of Il-38 ASW aircraft, as well as Forpost and Orlan unmanned aerial vehicles, small transport aircraft, and other helicopters.

Earlier, the journalists learned that the Yelizovo airbase is expected to be seriously updated. At airbase will build concrete shelters for new combat aircraft and modernize communications and navigation systems. Work has already begun this spring.
Dylan Malyasov
U.S. defense journalist and commentator. Aviation photographer. Dylan leads Defence Blog's coverage of global military news, focusing on engineering and technology across the U.S. defense industry.
 

danielboon

TB Fanatic
EndGameWW3

@EndGameWW3

·
36m

Update: Moscow calls NATO military exercise in Black Sea ‘Openly Anti-Russian’
Update: Russia arrests envoy from Estonia with secret documents. Update: US, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine in Military Exercise Targeting Belarus, Kaliningrad, Donbass Code-Named Three Swords 2021 Beginning July 17-30th.
 

jward

passin' thru
Putin approves new National Security Strategy preparing Russian economy for war

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 2:00:23 PM


The economy of the Russian Federation, all its entities and municipalities must be prepared to provide protection against armed attack and meet the needs of the state and the population in wartime, reads the updated National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, which was approved by President Vladimir Putin.

The document, which is prepared by the Security Council, is the cornerstone for all government decisions and serves as the basis for the formation of industry strategic doctrines. It speaks of the "increase of military dangers and threats" that "contribute to attempts of forceful pressure" on Russia, "the build up of military infrastructure" of NATO near Russian borders and "intensification of intelligence activities" of foreign states.

According to the new strategy, "the use of large military formations and nuclear weapons against Russia" is being "worked out". This threat is listed as real for the first time in Russia’s modern history.
In this regard, it is necessary to "maintain the nuclear deterrence capability", to ensure "readiness for combat" of the armed forces and technological independence of the defense industry, as well as to plan and conduct "measures to prepare for the security and protection of the population, material and cultural values from the dangers arising, in the case of military conflicts," the document reads.

The previous version, approved in 2016, focused on defense "through strategic deterrence and the prevention of military conflicts." The new version explicitly states that the defense is "organized for the armed protection" of the country, the "sovereignty and integrity of its territory."
At the same time, the thesis of Brezhnev's nuclear de-escalation calling for “a gradual movement towards a world free of nuclear weapons” is rejected. This item was present in 2016 strategy and has been withdrawn from the new edition.

Russia faces "unfriendly actions" from foreign states, "open political and economic pressure," attempts to "isolate it" by applying double standards and "information campaigns aimed at forming a hostile image" of the country, the document reads.
The authors of the strategy blame the unfriendly Western countries, which, in their opinion, are stirring economic and social crisis.

In particular, this is due to the "stagnation and recession of the world's leading economies, the decline in the stability of the world monetary system, the aggravation of the struggle for access to markets and resources," as well as the general "crisis of the Western liberal model," the document states.


And if 5 years ago the Russian Security Council allowed Russia's return to its former international status and pointed out as a goal of development, for example, "attracting foreign investment", in 2021 strategy-2021, the emphasis is on further isolation.
The document speaks about the need to "strengthen control" over foreign investors in strategic industries, "reduce the use of the dollar" and "overcome critical dependence on technology imports, equipment and components."

"Important conditions for ensuring the economic security of the Russian Federation are the reliance on internal capabilities and independent solution for the issues facing Russia," the document emphasizes.
The list of strategic national priorities has also changed. In 2016, they included "improving the life quality of Russian citizens," "economic growth," "health," "education" and "culture."

These items have now been removed. They were replaced by "saving the people of Russia," "economic security," "information security" and "protecting traditional Russian spiritual and moral values."


Putin, Russia
Posted for fair use


Putin approves new National Security Strategy preparing Russian economy for war
The economy of the Russian Federation, all its entities and municipalities must be prepared to provide protection against armed attack and meet the needs of the state and the population in wartime, reads the updated National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, which was approved by...

www.uawire.org
 

northern watch

TB Fanatic
Russia conducts drills involving nuclear-capable bombers

The Russian military says it has conducted drills involving nuclear-capable strategic bombers firing cruise missiles

By The Associated Press
8 July 2021, 08:01

MOSCOW -- Russia's air force has conducted drills involving its nuclear-capable strategic bombers, the military said Thursday.

The Defense Ministry said that Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers took off from their base in the Saratov region on the Volga River and flew more than 4,000 kilometers (about 2,500 miles) to launch cruise missiles at practice targets at a firing range in the Arctic.

It said the missiles hit their designated targets.

The drills also involved Tu-95 bombers based in Russia's Far East.

The Russian military has increased the number and scope of its drills amid tensions with the West.

Russia conducts drills involving nuclear-capable bombers - ABC News (go.com)
 

bethshaya

God has a plan, Trust it!
I know we shouldn't quote scripture on civilian threads, but at this point in history, scripture and current events are converging. It is blatantly obvious with everything lining up, what is going on. It's like watching a football game and you have the playbooks of both sides. You know what the calls are and what is going to happen before it does.

Lets say you are trying to steal the Mona Lisa from the museum. The first thing you have to do is disable the "security" measures, so that you can get at the prize. In this case, the "security" of Israel is the US. So Russia and its allies need to disable the US in order to get us out of the way so they can go after what they really are after.

Ezekiel 36 & 37 has been fulfilled already in our lifetime. Ezekiel 38 IS coming to pass now.
 

Satanta

Stone Cold Crazy
_______________
I figure Biden is going to throw them under the Bus with Taiwan.

Actually, and this is only from Minimal "Research" [[If even That.]] I'd give Ukraine back to Russia. As mentioned somewhere above-they've been fighting forever. It's like going to Afgan, taking one town and arming it to the Teeth and telling the rest of the country "NNNno! You can't have it!"
 

Zagdid

Veteran Member

S-500 Prometheus: 'Killer of F-35' Has Undergone Combat Missile Trials and is Coming Soon
by Ekaterina Blinova
Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 14, 2021

The new generation S-500 Prometheus air defence system developed by the Russian arms company Almaz-Antey, the same group that produced the S-300 and S-400, has successfully completed a series of tests including combat missile launches, according to the Commander of the Missile Defence Troops of the Russian Air Force, Maj. Gen. Sergei Babakov.
Speaking to the Russian news outlet Krasnaya Zvezda last week, Major General Babakov elaborated that the S-500 has been developed as a completely new generation of anti-aircraft systems aimed at taking down medium-range ballistic missiles, and, if necessary, intercontinental ballistic missiles in the final stage of their flight path. In addition to this, the S-500 is capable of destroying hypersonic aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, according to him.

"The S-500 air defence system is capable of destroying hypersonic weapons of all modifications, including in near space, in addition to aerodynamic and ballistic targets, which makes it possible to say with confidence that this system is unique", Maj. Gen. Babakov said.

Russia's new defence weapon can reportedly engage enemy ballistic missiles at a range of up to 600 kilometres and aircraft at about 500 kilometres.

The military official explained that the combat drills involved firing at targets possessing technical specifications similar to modern aerospace attack weapons or those with more advanced capabilities.

According to the major general, anti-aircraft missile crews hone their skills by intercepting both small-sized, low-flying, low-speed objects that mimic unmanned aerial vehicles and high-altitude, high-speed targets that mimic hypersonic missiles.
Moreover, the Russian Air Force has also taken into account the experience gained during the aerial campaign in the Syrian Arab Republic. All incidents of using weapons and anti-aircraft missile military equipment is being carefully studied and employed during the drills, Babakov highlighted.

Russia's military schools and academies of the Ministry of Defence as well as the country's technical universities are training specialists for anti-aircraft missile crews in the nation's Air Force, the major general noted, adding that this year over 1,000 graduates have taken up their duties in this branch of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

S-500: Successor to S-400 or Entirely New Weapon?
Last December, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexei Krivoruchko revealed that the S-500 missile system and the Voronezh long-range early-warning radars could enter service as early as in 2021, following the completion of trials.
Long-range early warning radars are the backbone of any missile defence complex. The Voronezh family, which monitors airspace against ballistic missile and aircraft attacks has three variations: Voronezh-M (metre band), Voronezh-DM (decimeter band), and Voronezh-SM (centimeter band). All three operate in a single system making it capable of determining target parameters and type more precisely.

In early April 2021, Almaz-Antey signalled that the new S-500 air defence system was about to wrap up trials this year. It is expected that the new state-of-the-art Prometheus system will be delivered to the Russian Armed Forces once its combat tests are completed. In the future, the unique long-range air defence complex is due to become become the cornerstone of a unified national air and missile defence system.

On 28 June, during a meeting with top graduates from military schools and academies of the Ministry of Defence, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the S-500 Prometheus anti-aircraft system, Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, and Zircon ship-based hypersonic missiles would soon be put on combat duty along with other advanced military complexes.
The development of the S-500 prompted a heated debate among western military observers who particularly raised the alarm over the system's reported ability to successfully thwart the US aircraft's low-observable (LO) technology: "Of all the Kremlin's latest weapons projects, the S-500 is among Russia's most direct and potent answers to US fifth-generation stealth fighter jets like Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor", the National Interest underscored on 27 May 2021.

"S-500s would be ideal for providing regional ballistic missile defence along Russia's European borders with NATO", the Drive wrote in May 2018. "It is in many ways roughly analogous to the US-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, or THAAD, though the goal is clearly to offer flexibility to respond to more conventional aerial threats, as well".
According to foreign observers, the S-500 can't be called a pure "successor" to the S-400: it's an entirely new weapon, designed to fulfill a broader set of strategic tasks.

Source: RIA Novosti
 
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