Russia is sending new S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries to its installations in Crimea, its defense ministry says. The move comes days after Russian warships seized several Ukrainian naval vessels, adding to tensions with neighboring Ukraine over the land Russia seized in 2014.
Russia's military already has three of the S-400 "Triumf" missile divisions on the Black Sea peninsula; it will have another in place and operational by the year's end, said Col. Vadim Astafyev of Russia's Southern Military District, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
The mobile S-400 missile has a range of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) and can climb to an altitude of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles), Russia's military says. It's intended to bring down a variety of aerial threats, from aircraft to cruise and ballistic missiles.
As the news emerged on Wednesday, Russia's defense ministry posted video of the latest iteration of the S-400 system going through final trials, saying it "successfully struck eight high-speed low flying targets."

Russia Plans To Deploy More S-400 Missiles To Disputed Crimea Peninsula
Russia's military already has three of the S-400 "Triumf" divisions on the Black Sea peninsula; it plans to have another in place and operational by the year's end.
