In a commentary for TV Zvezda, the military said that thanks to these complexes, the Russian military will be able to "contain the aggression of the [Atlantic] Alliance," with lower costs.
"These electronic warfare weapons were tested in Syria, they showed their high efficiency against both drones and cruise missiles and consequently against AWACS Aircraft of Alert and Control, of American production," he added.
In Knutov's view, the US has been "preparing for a real war with Russia since the 2000s."
"At the time, it was a theory, but now they start practicing," he said, referring to the numerous exercises carried out by NATO, including in the vicinity of Russian borders.
The main objective of the Samarkand systems, which entered service in the Northern Russia Fleet last year, is to create electromagnetic interference and block the communications of the enemy. This armament is used on all surface ships, including cruisers and torpedo boats.
By November 2019, the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to install 13 such complexes in various Russian regions throughout the country as well as in Belarus.
Although NATO was established to counter the power of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, with the collapse of the Union in 1991, many have called into question what the necessity of NATO is. With Russia resurging under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, who transformed post-Soviet Russia into a major world player after the disaster of the Yeltsin era, NATO has been aggressively targeting Russia to prevent their rise.
This has seen NATO throw its support for states like Georgia and Ukraine right on Russia's border, but has seen these states ultimately suffer, as seen with the recognized independence of South Ossetia and the reunion of Crimea with Russia.
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