Russia Postpones Transfer of the Latest S-400 Air Defense Systems to India Due to Domestic Needs

For the second time, Russia has postponed the transfer of the last two batteries of the S-400 air defense missile system to India because of the war in Ukraine.

This was reported by the Times of India.

During a bilateral meeting between Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, the two discussed new terms for the transfer of the S-400 air defense system – for 2026-2027.

This is the second postponement of the deadline, as the transfer of the last two batteries of the system was to be completed by April 2023.

The delays are caused, in particular, by the losses of these systems as a result of Ukrainian strikes, as well as by the Russian army’s attempts to focus air defense systems on intercepting Ukrainian drones that successfully hit military facilities and oil refineries.

In addition, the parties disagreed on the method of payment: New Delhi refuses to pay for Russian weapons in dollars, as this could lead to secondary sanctions.

We also invite you to read the author’s article on Militarnyi – “S-400 SAM: Unjustified Expectations and Losses”.

At the same time, India does not agree to conclude deals in rubles, fearing a loss of control over the market price of weapons.

As a reminder, in 2021, India began deploying the first regimental set of S-400 air defense systems in the Punjab sector to counter Pakistani aviation.

In total, India has ordered five divisions of these systems from Russia, but their receipt has become a constant problem due to numerous postponements, which, according to Indian sources, has negatively affected the country’s defense capabilities in the face of growing external threats.

During India’s Operation Sindoor, all available S-400 systems were deployed to counter Pakistani aviation and protect airfields.

Despite this, Pakistani aircraft managed to hit elements of at least one system. This was confirmed by the Indian media, which published the obituary of a deceased soldier.

As it became known later, the strike was aimed at the Adampur Airbase, where Rambabu Kumar Singh, a native of Wasilpur village, Bihar State, who was one of the operators of the SAM system components, was killed.