Drunk Russian soldier overturns S-400 surface-to-air missile system worth $160m

On the previous day, the Russian media published a video and photo of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system (SA-21 Growler, according to US and NATO codification) that ran off the road and overturned. Today it became known that a Russian soldier, who took the steering wheel drunk, was responsible for the accident.

Here's What We Know

The SA-400 fell into a ditch at around 10:30am (EET) on 20 April, after which law enforcement authorities restricted vehicle traffic. The vehicle was left lying on its side until evening. The incident happened on the M2-Krym highway near the village of Prudnoye in the Tula region.

The truck rolled over right on top of the missiles, but they did not explode. It was learned that the 33-year-old soldier who was behind the wheel was in a drunken state. He fell behind a convoy of eight tractors and crashed into a ditch. The Russian soldier was not injured, apart from a broken arm.

The S-400 is a new anti-aircraft missile system. It entered service in 2007. The cost of one machine in export prices is about $160 million.

Source: @breakingmash, @bazabazon