Russia will deploy S-400 missiles in Crimea

New S-400 surface-to-air missiles will be installed very soon in Crimea, in the context of a showdown between Russia and Ukraine.

A new S-400 ground-to-air missile system will be deployed "in the near future" in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed in 2014, where tension has mounted since Sunday, a Russian army official said Wednesday.

"In the near future, the anti-aircraft missile system will put itself in a fighting position to protect the airspace of the Russian Federation," said Colonel Vadim Astafiev, spokesman for the Russian Southern Military District, quoted by Interfax news agency.