Russia Cancels Deal to Sell S-300 Air Defense System to Syria

Russia cancels Syrian S-300 deal

Jeremy Binnie,IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly

August 13, 2014

The acquisition of S-300PMU-2 systems would have significantly improved Syria’s integrated air defence network. Credit: PA Photos

The S-300 air defence systems that Syria ordered from Russia will probably now be scrapped after the cancellation of the deal, Konstantin Buryulin, the deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, told the Interfax-AVN military news agency.

"This decision [to cancel the deal] was made under the relevant UN sanctions by our political leadership," the 11 August report quoted Buryulin as saying. "If the equipment does not find an appropriate application, it will be disposed of."

Russia has used its Security Council veto to prevent the imposition of a UN arms embargo on Damascus and has admitted delivering some S-300 components to the Syrians. However, the deal was put on hold after it brokered the agreement under which Damascus surrendered its chemical weapons.

"We have delivered separate components, but the whole delivery has not been completed and for the moment we have suspended it," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in September 2013.

Meanwhile, Iran continues its attempts to persuade Moscow to resurrect the S-300 deal that was cancelled after a UN arms embargo was imposed on the Islamic republic in 2010.

"Iran considers the S-300 contract to be still active because the sanctions that were introduced under UN Security Council Resolution 1929 do not cover the S-300 contract," Interfax quoted Iran’s ambassador to Russia as saying in July.

"Representatives of our defence ministry have repeatedly held talks with their partners in Russia. I think they have good mutual understanding. I hope that we will receive an S-300 or a more modern system."