Russia is installing an advanced anti-aircraft missile system in its southern military region in reaction to Turkey’s deployment of a NATO missile system, a report says.
Russian Col. Igor Gorbul said the army will complete the installation of S-400 anti-aircraft missiles by the end of this year, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Wednesday.
Gorbul also stated that the new missiles can destroy ultra-stratospheric and ballistic missiles and all types of airplanes.
NATO’s missile system has been established in Turkey’s East Anatolia region.
The Hurriyet report comes several days after Turkish fighter jets forced a Syrian passenger plane heading to Damascus from Moscow to land in the capital Ankara.
The aircraft carried a group of Russian nationals among the passengers.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the aircraft was grounded based on information that it might be carrying “certain equipment in breach of civil aviation rules.”
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “There were, of course, no weapons on the plane and could not have been any. There was a cargo on the plane that a legal Russian supplier was sending in a legal way to a legal customer.”
YH/HSN/MA
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Monday, October 22nd 2012 at 12:29PM
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