MOSCOW, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- A third battalion of air defense systems S-400 Triumf has entered duty in Crimea, local media reported Friday.

"Combat crews of the S-400 air defense missile systems organic to the Air Force and Air Defense group of the Southern Military District have entered duty in Yevpatoria," TASS news agency quoted the spokesman of Black Sea Fleet, a fleet of the Russian Navy, as saying.

Similar systems went operational in two Black Sea ports, namely Feodosiya in January 2017 and Sevastopol in January 2018, according to TASS news agency.

The S-400 air defense missile system, designed and manufactured by Russia's Almaz-Antey arms manufacturer, is considered the most advanced of its kind in Russia, capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 400 km and a height of up to 30 km.

Russia also deployed S-400 systems to protect its air base in Syria.