Russia is making loud noises in the media about the recent deployment of its S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile (SAM) defense system in the Crimea, which it unlawfully seized from Ukraine in 2014, while glossing over the fact it doesn't have the money to produce enough systems to deter NATO and the U.S. in the event of an eastern European War.

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Russian propaganda claims the S-400 will allow Moscow to keep Crimea safe from attack while also threatening airspace deep inside Ukraine should the Russia choose to do so. The S-400 is a linchpin of Russia's anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy in the Crimea.

Russian official propaganda media said a ceremony was held at the antiaircraft missile regiment of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army of the Southern Military District on Jan. 14 in which the command post and the S-400 Triumf battalion became operational.

It explained the basic S-400 system can engage targets at ranges of more than 155 miles at altitudes up to 90,000 feet. The S-400 can track 300 targets simultaneously and engage 36 at any one time.

A grim estimate made by Russian military analysts and commentators, however, said Russia faces a SAM shortage that will prevent Russia from defeating a massive NATO attack in the next 10 years.

Russia has sought to camouflage the scandalous weakness in its air defenses by over hyping in the media its newest S-400 and S-500 SAM systems to instill fear out of proportion to the grim reality.

The share of "modern" SAMs and radars in the inventory of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), which is responsible for the Russia's air defenses, is 45 percent, admitted General-Lieutenant Viktor Gumennyy, Deputy VKS Commander-in-Chief and Chief of Air and Missile Defense.

Russia's modern SAM systems refer to the operational S-300 and S-400 and the long-delayed S-500. The S-500 has yet to be completed, while its S-400 predecessor can launch the older 48N6 and 9M96 missiles.

Only seven air defense divisions have been supplied with the S-400 since 2007, with another 49 waiting to receive them. The S-300 is over 20 years old.

TagsRussia, S-400 Triumf, NATO, Crimea, Ukraine, General-Lieutenant Viktor Gumennyy