Delivery of S-300 missiles to Syria ‘not directed against third parties’ – Kremlin

The imminent delivery of the S-300 anti-aircraft system by Russia to Syria is meant to protect Russian aircraft from further friendly fire incidents and is not directed against any third party, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He added that the decision came after a week of deliberations in Moscow. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry announced it was ordered by President Vladimir Putin to complete the long-agreed delivery of the S-300 system to the Syrian military and take other steps to boost its air-defense capabilities. The move came a week after the downing of a Russian Il-20 aircraft by a Syrian missile fired in response to an Israeli air raid against targets in Syria.