At the end of the 1990s, while on very good terms with Moscow, Nicosia acquired two Russian S300 air defense batteries… Which caused a regional crisis, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [RTCN] and Turkey having threatened to launch military intervention if Cyprus persisted in wanting to put such systems into service. Finally, to ease tensions, the latter were taken back by Greece, which placed them in a depot located in Crete.
These S-300 batteries were no longer talked about until the “Lefkos Aetos 2013” exercise, during which they were tested by Greek forces. “It may be paradoxical, but the successful firing of the S-300 system is a message of peace and stability in South-Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean,” Athens commented, the era.
Later, it was suggested that these S-300s were used discreetly to train Israeli fighter pilots, at a time when Russia was considering deploying such systems in Syria. [ce qui est le cas depuis 2018, ndlr].
However, these S-300s have become cumbersome. Especially since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. For a time, Athens considered ceding them to the Ukrainian forces… But on the condition of obtaining an American Patriot system in exchange.
“If the United States installs a Patriot system on the island of Crete, then the S-300s we have can be withdrawn [du service] and sent to kyiv,” explained Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, then Defense Minister, in December 2022.
However, Russia’s response was not long in coming. “This would be a blatant violation of Russian-Greek agreements on military and technical cooperation,” argued Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy. “Trampling on its treaty commitments [de 1995 et de 2013] can only have consequences,” she then warned, after recalling that Greece was not authorized to re-export the military equipment supplied to it by Moscow.
What will Russia say about the Greek plan to cede these S-300s to Armenia, a country with which it has been at odds since Azerbaijan’s offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh?
Indeed, according to the Enikos information site, the General Staff of the Greek National Defense [GEETHA] intends to part with all equipment of Russian origin. Also, in connection with France, it plans to deliver to Armenia not only the S-300 but also the Tor-M1 and Osa-AK anti-aircraft systems. This transfer will only take place after replacement systems have been ordered. As a reminder, Greece has expressed its interest in the Israeli “David’s Sling”, Barak MX and SPYDER MR devices.
Beyond cultural aspects, “for Athens, strengthening Yerevan rather than kyiv is a strategic choice. […] A strong Armenia will be a formidable counterweight to Turkish intransigence, which openly strengthens Azerbaijan,” writes Enikos.
It remains to be seen to what extent these S-300s will strengthen Armenia’s air defense, knowing that the latter, according to the 2023 edition of the publication “The Military Balance”, has around fifty copies… But it does not It is not certain that they are all operational.
