New Russian anti-air defense system to be deployed in Syria

MAJOR DEVELOPMENT: Russia to deploy ZRPK to shoot down US air force in Syria

October 11, 2016 - Fort Russ News - 

RusVesna - translated by J. Arnoldski -

Russia is strengthening Syria’s anti-air defense systems with the latest ZRK missile system, Izvestiya has reported citing a source in military-diplomatic circles.

Russian authorities are considering sending a batch of “Pantsir” anti-aircraft rocket missile and gun systems (ZRPK) to Syria. The deal, concluded a few years ago, was only partially realized for financial reasons. Now Moscow has decided to send the remaining Pantsir’s to Damascus without demanding immediate payment. 

Interviewed experts believe that Moscow’s decision was influenced by the tense situation in Syria and the Americans’ threat to strike Assad’s troops.

As the director of the Foreign Policy Agency and program director of the Valdai Club, Andrey Sushentsov says, if the now Syrian Pantsir’s shoot down an American plane, then we will find ourselves in an even more difficult political situation than now, because the blame will be put on Russia and thereby bring the US-Russia confrontation to a new level. 

However, for now everything is being done to ensure that the Pentagon will not decide to launch such strikes.