The system was accepted for service and commissioned for active duty in 1979. The launchers-modified R-36 (SS-9) or R-36M (SS-18) missiles-were deployed at the Baykonur test site. Test intercepts continued until 1982. In November 1983, however, the Soviet leadership announced a unilateral moratorium on further ASAT tests. The tests have never resumed. The exact status of the ASAT system deployed in Baykonur is unclear, but it is most likely that it is no longer operational. There were reports that the system underwent a modernization in 1991, but since it was done without flight tests it is highly unlikely that this modernization involved any significant upgrades. Significant parts of the space surveillance network that is an integral part of the system, have been lost during the break up of the Soviet Union. Although Russia has not formally announced that the system is decommissioned, the current structure of the Russian Space Forces does not include any units that could operate the system, which almost certainly means it is no longer functional.

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Podvig, Pavel. "Russian Military Space Capabilities." Ensuring America's Space Security. Ed. Phillip E. Coyle. Washington, D.C.: Federation of American Scientists, September 2004. [ 3 quotes ] [ page 127 ]