NEW DELHI – India will start receiving the S-400 Triumf air defence missilesystems from Russia from October next year and the deliveries will becompleted by April 2023, the government said Wednesday.

India inked an agreement with Russia in October last year to procure abatch of the missile systems at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore, PTI has reported.

“The deliveries will commence from October 2020 and will be completed byApril 2023,” Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said in Lok Sabhawhile replying to a question on the contract.

India went ahead to seal the deal with Russia not withstanding the US’warnings against it.

“The system will provide a very capable air defence coverage to vulnerableareas/vulnerable points,” Bhamre said.

The US had announced sanctions against Russia under the stringent law forits alleged meddling in the American presidential election in 2016 CAATSA,which came into effect in January, mandates the Donald Trump administrationto punish entities engaging in significant transaction with the defence orintelligence establishment of Russia.