S-400 Deployment Leads Russian Arctic Expansion
The deployment of the S-400 to an Arctic island increases Russia’s military power in the region and also strengthens overall national defense.
An S-400 transporter-erector-launcher undergoes functionality checks after cold-weather trials in a chamber at the Almaz-Antey factory in St. Petersburg. (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)
An S-400 transporter-erector-launcher undergoes functionality checks after cold-weather trials in a chamber at the Almaz-Antey factory in St. Petersburg. (Photo: Vladimir Karnozov)

An S-400 surface-to-air missile (SAM) regiment has been deployed to an island in the Arctic: the Yurzhnyi (southern) Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the Russian defense ministry reported. “Following rearmament of this unit with the newer equipment, the area of Arctic airspace under our control has considerably expanded,” said the Russian defense ministry in a statement.

The exportable S-400 has an advertised firing range of 380 km (205 nm) with Fakel 40N6E missiles and a radar acquisition range for airborne targets of 580 km. The Russian armed forces operate a total of 16 S-400 SAM regiments.