Ukraine war weakens Russia’s border with China

Satellite images show that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Kiev has left his country’s southern border with quasi-ally China unprotected and several anti-aircraft missile systems are believed to have been relocated to the front lines in Ukraine.

AS-22, an account on X (formerly Twitter), published a series of satellite images on July 5 showing the number of S-300 and S-400 Transporter Erector Launchers (TELs) for anti-aircraft missiles at bases east of Novosibirsk in a region of southwestern Siberia.

The S-300 and S-400 are Russian-made mobile surface-to-air missile systems capable of shooting down aircraft as well as cruise and ballistic missiles. According to the missile defense project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the S-400 is roughly comparable to the American Patriot air defense system in Ukrainian service.

AS-22, which specializes in imagery and open-source intelligence, claimed that around 105 TELs stationed in 11 Russian bases have been relocated since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. For example, in Khabarovsk, 30 kilometers from the Russian-Chinese border, 11 of the 17 TELs stationed there have been relocated, AS-22 noted.

On Sakhalin Island, just 25 miles north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, all seven TELs were relocated from their base.

Newsweek could not independently verify the satellite images and has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

Ukraine has repeatedly used long-range weapons, including domestically manufactured drones, to launch cross-border attacks on Russian soil, forcing Moscow to strengthen its air defenses along its southwestern border.

This is not the first time Russia has removed anti-aircraft missile systems from its bases during the war. According to an analysis of satellite images, some systems stationed on the Far Eastern islands of Iturup and Kunashir (in Japanese, Etorofu and Kunashiri) were also removed, Japan’s Kyodo News reported in August 2023.

The islands are part of the disputed Southern Kuril Islands, to which Japan also lays claim.

The air defense equipment was probably stationed on the Russian-Ukrainian border, the report quoted lecturer Yu Koizumi of the University of Tokyo as saying.

Satellite images also indicated that numerous anti-aircraft missiles had been moved from Russia’s northwestern region around St. Petersburg toward Ukraine, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported in September 2022.

As the bombing of Ukraine continues, Russia faces a high demand for precise, long-range weapons for ground attacks. Kyiv claims that the Russian military has converted S-300 surface-to-air missiles for ground attacks.

The S-300 missiles, used as surface-to-surface weapons, are difficult for Ukrainian air defense units to intercept due to their speed and quasi-ballistic missile attack mode, defense news website The War Zone reported.

By relocating anti-aircraft missile systems from other parts of the country, Russia can use them as both defensive and offensive weapons in the war in Ukraine.