UPDATE: After posting this, it was confirmed that the footage of inflatable S-400s is from an exercise in 2018. There is no evidence of them at the site currently. However, the site has been noted as empty.

___ Original Article _____________

OSINT: Russian Navy Base At Sevastopol Defended By Inflatable S-400 Missiles

Russia's main naval base in the Black Sea, Sevastopol, is guarded by the latest S-400 air-defense system. Despite the Ukraine War eroding the mystique surrounding many of Russia's major weapon systems, the S-400 is still regarded as very potent. It has a strategic as well as tactical employment. It is deployed to exert a high cost on any force attacking important Russian areas, particularly in the initial period of war (IPW).

The real S-400 missiles have recently been moved from their permanent launch site however. Russian TV has shown inflatable replacements at the site. These are decoys, a common and well-publicised Russian tactic.

CLICK to Enlarge. Geolocation of the inflatable missiles

The real weapons were there at the start of the war. On March 26, just over a month into the war, a missile launch was observed over Sevastopol. Two missiles were launched against an unreported target, possibly a drone. The launch profile matches S-400 (/S-300).

Multiple photographs and videos allowed geolocation. The missiles were launched from the main S-400 site on the coast southwest of the port. This confirms that the site was still active at that point in the war.

Two S-400 were launched from the site in March. It was documented by many residents of the city on social media.

Several months later, the S-400 based at the site was moved. The site is now empty. However, the inflatable radar and launch vehicles (TELs - Transporter, Erector, Launcher) were shown here.

The recent attack on Saki air base has highlighted some possible gaps in the Russian air defenses of Crimea. And the recent focus on strategic bridges to Crimea, both in the north (Kherson) and south (Kerch), may mean that the S-400 has been redeployed.

Important Note

The footage may be old (from a 2018 drill?) as available Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) has not yet confirmed their presence at the site.

Reference image on a Russian inflatable decoy

The bigger question isn't whether there are inflatables there, it is where are the real missiles deployed to?