Russia On 21 May 2007 the Russian Air Force announced that S-400 systems would be put on combat duty near the town of
Elektrostal in
Moscow Oblast, to defend Moscow and Central Russia, by 1 July 2007. On 6 August 2007 the first regiment equipped with S-400 systems entered active service near Elektrostal, according to Channel One Russia. The regiment was the 606th Guards Anti-air Rocket Regiment, 9th PVO Division, 1st PVO Corps, of the
Special Purpose Command. On 8 February 2008 Lt. Gen. Vladimir Sviridov announced that Russia would be replacing the S-300 systems in the northwest of Russia with the S-400. Military experts expect Russia's use of the system as a major component of their ballistic missile defense until 2020. In September 2006 Deputy Prime Minister
Sergei Ivanov announced the purchase of 18 S-400 battalions for internal defense for the period 2007–2015. The Baltic Fleet in Kaliningrad received S-400 SAM systems which went into operational status in April 2012. One S-400
divizion is deployed on combat duty in the Russian far east city of
Nakhodka. As of 2012, one system (in Electrostal) was operational, with three more S-400 battalions being deployed. All 56 battalions will be delivered by 2020. Russia plans to recommission the
Kirov-class battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov in 2023. Plans called for the installation of the 48N6DMK anti-aircraft missile derived from the land-based S-400. This will extend the
Kirov air defense from to . Adm. Vladimir Korolev stated at that time that Russia's Northern Fleet's Coastal Forces had deployed S-400s. On 1 March 2016 the acting commander of the 14th Air Force and Air Defense Army, major general Vladimir Korytkov, said that six S-400 units had been activated at the air defense formation in Russia's
Novosibirsk Oblast. TASS also reported that as of the end of 2015, a total of eleven Russian missile regiments were armed with S-400, and by the end of 2016 their number was expected to increase to sixteen. However, those claims were refuted by Russia. On 25 November 2015 the Russian government announced it would deploy S-400s in Syria as a response to the
downing of its Su-24M jet by Turkey. By the next day, deployment of S-400 air defense systems to Syria was underway. The first S-400 unit was activated at the
Khmeimim Air Base in
Latakia Governorate. Although these systems are located in Syria, they are under the command of the
Russian military and not the
Syrian (nor
Iranian) military, In mid-2020, several media outlets, including Turkish media, questioned the combat capability of the S-400 air defense system. In late December 2021, the Israeli Air Force flew military jets over areas protected by S-400 and
Pantsir SAM in Syria and bombed Iran-backed
Hezbollah militia based in
Latakia. Russia operates
a naval base in the port of
Tartus, to the south near the
port of Latakia. Considering the engagement range advertised by the Russians, the S-400 could have engaged Israeli aircraft but did not. Neither Russian fighter jets nor the S-400 systems attempted to intercept the Israeli aircraft. It is widely believed that
Russia and Israel have an agreement that Israel will guarantee the safety of Russian personnel and assets during
its strikes on non-Russian targets in Syria and in return, Russia will not target Israeli aircraft nor repel Israeli strikes. On 14 April 2022, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed that a Ukrainian
Mi-8 was shot down by a S-400 near
Horodnia,
Chernihiv Oblast on its way to an air base following
an attack on Russian territory near
Klimovo,
Bryansk Oblast. In August 2022, Ukraine claimed that a 92N6E radar used in the S-400 SAM system was destroyed in Kherson region. that destroyed Russia's S-400 surface-to-air missile in Luhansk Oblast. On 23 August 2023,
GRU released a video of two alleged elements of an S-400 battery being destroyed in
Olenivka, Crimea, south of Kherson, by a barrage of Ukrainian missiles. Ukrainian forces, according to Ukrainian media, used a
R-360 Neptune and a drone to destroy the missile's radar. On 14 September 2023, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed a Russian S-400's radar near
Yevpatoria, Crimea. On 4 October 2023, Ukrainian kamikaze drone destroyed one radar and a missile launcher of S-400 system in Belgorod region. In late October 2023, Russian sources claimed that the S-400 was used in conjunction with the
Beriev A-50 flying radar to shoot at Ukrainian air targets with new warheads of anti-aircraft guided missiles. On 9 November 2023, the
UK MoD intelligence assessment indicated that due to the destruction of "several" Russian S-400s in Ukraine, Russia may have to redeploy S-400 systems from "distant parts" of Russia's borders to Ukraine. On 19 April 2024, Ukraine launched ATACMS missiles at Russian military airfield in Crimea and destroyed Russia's S-400 launchers, three radars and Fundament-M air surveillance system. On 23 April 2024, Ukraine's Tivaz Artillery Battery launched American-made
HIMARS at Russia's S-400 missile system's 92N2 radar and 96L6 high-altitude radar and destroyed both of the radar system. The Nebo-SVU is a surveillance radar deployed as part of the S-400 missile system. Russians have been reported to use reprogrammed S-400 missiles to launch ballistic ground-to-ground attacks. In one such attack on 13 December 2023 out of 10 missiles fired at Kyiv, all were supposedly downed, but falling debris still caused some damage in residential regions. The missiles were most likely reprogrammed 48N6. On 3 June 2024, Ukrainian forces destroyed for the first time an S-400 air defence missile system in Belgorod using a U.S.-supplied M142 HIMARS rocket launcher. On 10 June 2024, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian antiaircraft missile system, including S-400 missile launchers in the Dzhankoy area in Crimea. According to a Newsweek report, visual confirmation and satellite mapping confirmed that Russia lost fifteen air defence systems in Crimea, including missile launchers, power supply units and radar stations to Ukrainian ATACMS and drone strikes. On 2 August 2024, Ukraine struck four Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in Crimea. According to CNN news, four S-400 systems were severely damaged by the Ukrainian attacks. On 24 November 2024, Ukraine struck one Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in Kursk region. The S-400 missile launchers were targeted by U.S.-made
ATACMS missile. On 27 January 2025, videos emerged of a 96L6E radar of the S-400 reportedly being hit by a Ukrainian HIMARS missile. On 29 August 2025, a video emerged of a Russian 91N6E radar of the S-400 reportedly being hit in Crimea by a Ukrainian drone.
Belarus In 2011 State Secretary of the
Union State of Russia and Belarus Pavel Borodin stated that Russia will supply the S-400 air defense system to
Belarus. On 1 December 2021 Belarus President
Alexander Lukashenko, in response to a reporter's question, replied that a Belarusian training center already has S-400 systems. The president said: "Yes. We train our guys in this training center. I'd like to ask the president [of Russia] to leave this system here." On 13 April 2015, the chief executive of the Russian state-run arms trader
Rosoboronexport confirmed that China secured a contract for the purchase of the S-400 air defense system. Delivery of the system began in January 2018. China test fired Russian S-400 systems for the first time in early August 2018. Deliveries were reportedly postponed after the delivery of two S-400 units. The acquisition of S-400, reported to initially consist of six batteries, improves China's air space defense. A reported coverage range would allow China's defense to cover all of the Taiwan Straits and the
Diaoyu Islands. Taiwan plans countermeasures using
signals intelligence units to locate and destroy S-400 systems before they can be used.
Turkey In late 2017 Turkish and Russian officials signed a US$2.5 billion agreement for delivery of the S-400 air defense system to
Turkey. The US Secretary of State raised concerns over the deal, which were rebuffed by President Erdogan and other Turkish officials, citing the US refusal to sell the upgraded
MIM-104 Patriot to Turkey, considered to be an important American ally by the US. Turkey received its first installment of the Russian S-400 missile defense system on 12 July 2019. On 17 July 2019, Turkey was suspended from the
F-35 program, the US stating "F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities" and on 14 December 2020, the US imposed
CAATSA sanctions on Turkey. As of 2020, 4 batteries consisting of 36 fire units and 192 or more missiles were delivered to Turkey.
India Contracts A deal to purchase S-400 systems by India was first reported in October 2015. On 15 October 2016, during the
BRICS Summit, India and Russia signed an Inter-governmental Agreement (IGA) for the supply of five S-400 regiments to
India. On 1 July 2018, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the then
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, cleared the procurement. The deliveries were expected to commence within 24 months after contract signing (October 2020) while they would complete all deliveries within 60 months (April 2023). On 26 September 2018, the
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by the
prime minister Narendra Modi further cleared the acquisition. The US$5.43 billion deal (₹40,000 crore) was formally signed on 5 October 2018, ignoring the threat of US sanctions. In March 2021, U.S. Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Austin discussed India's planned purchase of Russia's S-400 air missile system and warned that the purchase of S-400 could trigger
CAATSA sanctions. On 5 August 2025, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the comprehensive annual maintenance contract of S-400 missile systems. Russia is expected to set up an MRO facility in India for the missile system. In October, it was reported that top officials from the Indian defence ministry is expected to meet their Russian counterparts for the purchase of five additional systems of S-400. These systems will be either directly delivered from Russia or jointly manufactured in India. The cost of these systems will be based on the 2018 deal except for compensating the annual price escalations. The deal was expected to be cleared before the scheduled visit of
Russian president,
Vladimir Putin, to India on 5 December. Reports also debunked the purchase of any
S-500 missile system by India. The purchase is one of the agenda during the Modi-Putin discussions. to equip the S-400 systems. The approval is expected to be granted during the DAC meet scheduled on 23 October. By 28 November, a
Request for Proposal was soon expected to be issued to
Rosoboronexport. This would be followed by clearance from the Cost Negotiation Committee (CNC) and
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), with the deal set to be finalised by the end of
fiscal year. These missiles are expected to replenish stocks that were spent during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict. The project is in the request for proposal stage as of April 2026. The DAC cleared the procurement on 27 March 2026. The expected cost is ₹63,000 crore (US$6.1 billion).
Delivery and deployment Delivery of the last two systems are likely to be dependent on the resolution of issues such as insurance and establishment of mechanism for balance payments which are delayed due to sanctions on Russia due to Russo-Ukrainian war. Delivery expectations were later revised to August 2026. In February 2025, it was reported that in the fourth squadron is to be delivered by the end of the year while the last squadron would be delivered by 2026. The pre-dispatch inspection by IAF officials was completed by April. The shipment sailed from a Russian port on 28 April and will be received at an Indian port by mid-May and deployed thereafter. The fifth system will be shipped in November and is expected to be deployed in the "middle sector" of India's border with Chinar.
2025 India–Pakistan conflict On 10 May 2025, it was claimed by several Indian media outlets that an IAF S‑400 system intercepted and destroyed a PAF AWACS aircraft approximately 314 km inside Pakistani airspace. Approximatly 11 long range interceptors, along with multiple short range interceptors were fired over Pakistan. During the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict, the Pakistan Air Force had claimed they destroyed components of India's S‑400 air defence system deployed at
Adampur Air Force Station. The
Indian Ministry of External Affairs however rejected Pakistan's claim of damage to the S-400 system. Later, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited the Adampur Air Force Station in Punjab on 13 May 2025, and posed in front of an S-400 system in the background that at least visually appeared undamaged. The system was also presented as a part of India's
Republic day parade in 2026. ==Foreign interest==