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What Russia's second S-400 battalion meant for Crimea
Summary
A look back at the military signals from Crimea and Syria reported around 18 January 2018.
What was Russia adding to its military posture in Crimea as of 18 January 2018? Reports from the days before that date pointed to a clear step: on 13 January 2018, Russia deployed a second S-400 anti-air missile battalion on the peninsula.
The deployment came nearly four years after Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine in February and March 2014, occupied it, and then annexed it following an illegitimate referendum. That took place amid the uncertainty that followed Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, and it marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
A second front in the headlines: Syria
Also reported in the same days was a separate dispute over Syria. On 15 January 2018, Turkey threatened to "strangle" the United States-backed Syrian Border Security Force "before it's even born". Syria vowed to crush the force and to expel American military personnel from the country. Russia called the plans "a plot to dismember Syria".
The two reports concerned different theatres, but both showed Russia and its regional counterparts reacting to military developments with sharp rhetoric or hardware. In Crimea, the response was a further build-up of air-defence capability. In Syria, the argument centred on a proposed border force and the American presence behind it.
For international readers, the Crimean report was a reminder that the peninsula remained under Russian military control and was still being reinforced years after the annexation.
