Russia has commenced its supply of the S-400 air defence missile system to India.
As per reports from Russian news agencies on Sunday, Dmitry Shugayev, the head of the Russian military cooperation agency shared that the country has started supplying the missile system to India.
The trade puts India at risk of sanctions imposed by the United States under a 2017 US law that deters countries from procuring Russian military hardware.
Interfax reported that Shugayev said on Sunday at an aerospace trade show in Dubai “The first supplies have already been started”.
He added that the first unit of an S-400 system will reach India towards the end of this year.
The deal worth $5.5 billion for five long-range surface-to-air missile systems was signed in 201. India claims it needs the missile systems to counter a threat from China.
New Delhi faces a range of financial sanctions from the United States under Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which names Russia an adversary alongside North Korea and Iran for its actions against Ukraine, interference in the US 2016 elections and help to Syria.
India said it has a strategic partnership with both Russia and the United States while the US told India it was unlikely to get a waiver from CAATSA.
Last year, Washington imposed sanctions citing CAATSA on Nato-ally Turkey for the acquisition of S-400 missiles from Russia.
The sanctions targeted the key Turkish defence procurement and development body Presidency of Defence Industries.
Washington further removed Turkey from an F-35 stealth fighter jet programme, which is the most advanced aircraft in the US arsenal and used by Nato members as well as other US allies.
Russia said it had offered Turkey its assistance in developing advanced fighter jets but no agreement has been reached so far.
RIA news agency cited Shugayev saying, “We are still at a stage of negotiations on this project”.
