Pakistan activated spies and sleeper cells in India due to fear of S-400

Retired Indian Air Marshal Jitendra Mishra has claimed that Pakistani fighter jets could not come within 200 km of the Indian border due to the Russian-made S-400 air defense system during Operation Sindoor. He claims that Pakistan activated spies and 'sleeper cells' inside India to find out the location of the S-400.

In an interview with Indian news agency ANI, Mishra said that Pakistan used various techniques to identify the location of the S-400 and also received satellite assistance from other countries. However, he did not say which countries helped.

Mishra said that the S-400 was one of the biggest threats to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. However, his claim about the destruction of Pakistani fighter jets is inconsistent with the independently verified information available in the public. The S-400 is a long-range surface-to-air missile defense system made by Russia.

Operation Sindoor was a military operation conducted by India on the night of 7–8 May 2025. India said the operation was carried out in response to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Mishra also claimed that an S-400 missile hit a target 314 km away in the operation, which he noted could be the longest successful strike by a surface-to-air missile.