Russian armed forces deploy S-300V4 air defense missile systems to Kuril Islands.

According to information published by the Russian press agency TASS on October 28, 2020, Russian armed forces has deployed S-300V4 air defense missile systems to the Kuril Islands for the first time, to conduct military exercises, the Russian press office of the Eastern Military District reported on Monday, October 26, 2020.
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Russian-made S-300V4 air defense missile system. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The Kuril Islands dispute, also known in Japan as the Northern Territories dispute, is a disagreement between Japan and Russia and also some individuals of the Ainu people over sovereignty of the four southernmost Kuril Islands. The Kuril Islands is a chain of islands that stretch between the Japanese island of Hokkaido at the southern end and the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula at the northern end.

According to a statement published by the Russian army press office, the Russian Eastern Military District’s anti-aircraft missile formation stationed in the Jewish Autonomous Region has kicked off drills to redeploy one of its units to large distances. The exercise is practicing performing a combined march to one of the islands of the Kuril Ridge, using the railway and maritime transport, deploying the unit in the designated areas and fighting notional saboteurs. During the exercise, the S-300V4 teams will accomplish combat training assignments at unknown practice ranges in the District’s island zone.

The Russian Eastern Military District’s missile formation stationed in the Jewish Autonomous Region earlier received the latest S-300V4 tracked anti-aircraft missile system for the first time.

The S-300V4 is the latest generation of air defense missile system in the family of S-300V. It entered in service with the Russian army in 2014. Compared to the previous version, the S-300V4 features expanded anti-aircraft, anti-cruise and anti-ballistic missile capabilities. The air defense missile system is more effective in its anti-missile defense capabilities and has the capability to destroy medium-range ballistic missiles.

The S-300V4 missile launcher system is mounted on a tracked armored vehicle to increase mobility in all-terrain conditions. It is able to engage up to 24 aerial targets simultaneously or 16 ballistic targets in various combinations. The S-300V4 can destroy ballistic missile and aerial threats within a range of 350 kilometers (217 miles).