Russia has begun supplying India with state-of-the-art S-400 mobile air defense missile systems under the terms of a contract signed in 2018. Moscow has already delivered the top-of-the-range weaponry to China and Turkey.
“The deliveries of the S-400 equipment for India have started, and are proceeding according to schedule,” the head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), Dmitry Shugayev, told RIA Novosti.
The value of the exports amounts to $5.4 billion.
The deal could potentially make India liable for penalties owing to the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) law. The 2017 legislation imposed sanctions on Russia in response to alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Iran and North Korea were also targeted, for different stated reasons.
In October, a group of US senators introduced a bill that would exempt India, which Washington has drawn closer to amid the rise of China, from sanctions for buying the S-400s.
Credit: RT News