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Russia on Thursday deployed a new battalion of advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in Crimea, its fourth such battalion, the TASS news agency cited a spokesman for Russia's Black Sea Fleet as saying.
The new battalion had been deployed in Djankoy in northern Crimea, the spokesman said.
News of the new deployment in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, follows Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian navy vessels off the coast of the peninsula on Sunday.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the West was imposing sanctions on Russia to stand up for international law and added that she would address the Sea of Azov issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an upcoming G20 summit."We don't impose sanctions on Russia for sanctions' sake, rather we impose sanctions to make clear that countries, even if their territorial situation puts them close to Russia, have the right to their own development," she told a Germany-Ukraine conference in Berlin. "Those are the principles of international law."The European Union's hawks have called for more sanctions on Russia after a fresh flare-up of tensions with Ukraine but the divided bloc is not going to act swiftly, if at all, diplomatic sources have said. 
Merkel: We sanction Russia for the sake of international law
Russia plans to build a new missile early-warning radar station in Crimea next year, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday, citing a Crimean security source.News that a new military facility will be built in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, follows Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian navy vessels off the coast of the peninsula on Sunday.The new radar station -- which will be able to track ballistic and cruise missiles from a long distance -- will be built near the port of Sevastopol where Russia's Black Sea fleet is based, the source told the news agency.Interfax reported earlier on Thursday that Russia was also working on a new technical system to allow it to better track shipping around the peninsula in order to protest its maritime borders.The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday it would deploy a new battalion of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems on the Crimean peninsula by the end of the year. 
Russia to build new missile early-warning radar station in Crimea
Turkey will purchase Russia’s S-400 missile defense system using local currency, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said while speaking to journalists at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport before departing for the G20 summit in Argentina.“When we started this deal, we had one principle. And that was to finalize this purchase with local currency. We have decided among ourselves whether this will be the Russian ruble or Turkish lira,” Erdoğan said.“However, our central banks have not yet completed their final work. We have about a year. Deliveries will begin toward the end of 2019 and from then, we will have actualized our goal of purchasing using local currency,” he added.The S-400 is Russia’s most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles. The system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).In phone calls, Erdoğan urges Putin, Poroshenko to reach diplomatic solutionUkraine-Russia crisis“When I spoke with Mr. [Vladimir] Putin, we mainly discussed the developments with Ukraine and what can be done about it and whether we can be a mediator. I discussed the matter with both sides. Mr. Putin and Mr. [Petro] Poroshenko both had requests and I will pass these on to Mr. Putin during our meeting in Argentina,” Erdoğan said, referring to two separate phone calls he held with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday.On Sunday, Russia seized two Ukrainian navy ships and a navy tugboat along with 23 crew members off Crimea, accusing Kiev of entering its waters and provoking a conflict.It said the vessels had ignored calls to stop, sparking military action.Russia blocks Ukrainian Azov Sea portsRussia intervened as the Ukrainian ships were relocating from the Black Sea port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.Ukraine also accused Russian warships of opening fire on the ships, asserting that crew members were wounded and the vessels were seized by Russia.Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum. Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, viewed the annexation as illegal.Turkey to address challenges of global economy at G20Erdoğan to discuss Manbij with Trump“I will meet with Mr. [Donald] Trump in Argentina and we will discuss Manbij,” Erdoğan said.Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols in Manbij, northeast of the Aleppo Governorate in Syria, on Nov. 1 as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region.The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a terrorist group recognized by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU which in its 30-year terror campaign has taken some 40,000 lives.The U.S. has claimed the YPG/PKK is an “ally” in the fight against Daesh over Turkey’s objections that one cannot use one terrorist group to fight another.Turkey has repeatedly cited evidence that the YPG is no different from the PKK.Syria must account for thousands of detainees who died in custody: UNErdoğan to visit three South American countriesErdoğan reiterated plans to pay official visits to Paraguay and Venezuela from Dec. 2-3 after attending the G20 summit in Argentina.These will be the first visits to Paraguay and Venezuela on the presidential level.“I have had the opportunity to meet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a few occasions recently. These meetings accelerated our political and economic ties. During the [upcoming] visit, we will discuss how to develop our bilateral relations in every aspect. I believe that these visits will have great significance in terms of strengthening our ties with Paraguay and Venezuela,” Erdoğan said.
Turkey to purchase Russian S-400s with local currency, says Erdoğan
Two Ukrainian Azov Sea ports, Berdyansk and Mariupol, are effectively under blockade by Russia as vessels are being barred from leaving and entering, Ukraine's infrastructure minister, Volodymyr Omelyan, said on Thursday.Overall, 35 vessels have been prevented from carrying out normal operations and only vessels moving towards Russian ports on the Azov Sea are permitted entry, he said on Facebook."The goal is simple - by placing a blockade on Ukrainian ports on the Azov Sea, Russia hopes to drive Ukraine out of our own territory - territory that is ours in accordance will all relevant international laws," he said.Putin accuses Ukraine leader of plotting naval clash to boost ratingsOmelyan said 18 vessels were awaiting entry into the Azov Sea, including four to Berdyansk and 14 to Mariupol. There is also a line of nine vessels to leave the Azov Sea and eight other vessels are standing by near the port berths.Grain and steel dominates the Azov ports shipments.Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships and their crews on Sunday near the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters - a charge Ukraine strongly refutes.The seizure of the navy vessels drove tension to its highest since 2015, when Moscow-backed rebels rose against the Kiev government in the eastern Donbass region, sparking a war that has killed tens of thousands.Ukraine says martial law not affecting Azov Sea grain exports but outlook unclear
Russia blocks Ukrainian Azov Sea ports