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Crimea air defences and Syria border force row
Summary
A look back at two security developments reported in the days before 16 January 2018, one in Crimea and one in Syria.
What were the security stories shaping Ukraine's neighbourhood around 16 January 2018? Two reports from the preceding days stood out: a military build-up in Crimea and a sharp dispute over Syria.
Another S-400 battalion in Crimea
On 13 January 2018, Russia deployed a second S-400 anti-air missile battalion in Crimea. The peninsula is part of Ukraine; Russia invaded and occupied it in February and March 2014, then annexed it after an illegitimate referendum. The invasion marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Row over a Syrian border force
On 15 January 2018, the dispute over a United States-backed Syrian Border Security Force sharpened. Turkey threatened to "strangle" the force "before it's even born". Syria vowed to crush it and to expel American military personnel from the country. Russia called the plans "a plot to dismember Syria".
The two reports were separate events, but both involved Russia's military and diplomatic posture in the days before 16 January 2018: one an added layer of air defence in occupied Crimea, the other a loud condemnation of American plans in Syria.
