The Russian military has deployed S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Tajikistan-Afghanistan border for the first time, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced.

In a statement over the weekend, the Russian military confirmed a deployment of the S-300 air-defense system to its 201st military base in Tajikistan, a CSTO ally of Russia.

The statement confirms that the S-300 has been deployed in Tajikistan for the first time. The systems, according to RBC news agency, are to take up duty close to Tajikistan’s southern border with Afghanistan. A source told the media outlet, “This is the first S-300 missile system, which will be deployed on the border with Afghanistan, where the International Security Assistance Force operates.”

“This is the first [S-300] missile system that will be on the border with Afghanistan, where international coalition forces are active,” an unnamed military source told the RBC news website.

In Central Asia, only Kazakhstan operates the S-300. The country received secondhand systems from Russia in the last few years.

Arezo News Website