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Russia: S-400 missiles’ drill for Turkish forces to run 'next spring'

February 22, 2019 at 2:18 am

Russian S-400 air defence system, seen during a military parade in Moscow, Russia, 27 December 2017 [Wikipedia]

A training exercise for the Turkish military forces on operating Russia’s S-400 air defence system is set to be held “next spring,” a Russian official announced yesterday.

Late December 2017, Russia and Turkey signed a $2.5 billion accord, under which Moscow was set to supply Ankara with two S-400 surface-to-air missile systems and four batteries.

RT quoted the spokesperson of Russian state-run Rostec – which missile manufacturer – as saying that the Turkish soldiers would arrive in Russia next spring for training on the defence system.

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“The process of supplying the missile systems from Russia to Turkey is moving ahead in accordance with the agreed timetable,” the spokesperson said, stressing that there were no delays.

The agreement, the Russian official pointed out, would be “completely implemented” before the end of the current year.

The Turkish-Russian deal was reported to have angered Ankara’s NATO allies, especially the United States (US), claiming that it was “not compatible” with the bloc’s defence systems. At the time, the US foreign secretary, Mike Pompeo, warned Turkey that countries that purchase military hardware from Russia risk running afoul of new sanctions the US imposed in 2017 on Russia’s military and defence industries.