MOSCOW
Russia will give four C-300 missile systems to Belarus free of charge as part of a military protocol agreed by Moscow and awaiting approval of Minsk, Russian officials said Thursday.
Deputy head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Co-operation, Konstantin Beryulin, said that the documents of the protocol signed by the Russian Ministry of Defense had been sent to Belarus and that the missile systems would be delivered as soon as Minsk signs the deal.
The C-300 surface-to-air missile system, which is capable of firing two missiles vertically in three minutes, is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Patriot system.
Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu first made the announcement regarding the planned deal in October 2013 following a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Yuri Jadobin despite not giving precise information on whether the missiles would be sold for a price or given free of charge.
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