Press TV reports: Russia to deploy Iskander-Ms by 2015
Missile brigades in western Russia will be armed with Iskander-M missile system by 2015 to counter a planned US missile shield in Europe.
“By 2015, the Iskander system will be put in service with five missile brigades, primarily near Russia’s western border and in the Kaliningrad Region,” a source in the Russian Defense Ministry was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying on Friday.
The decision for deployment of the system, equipped with precision-guided tactical SS-26 Stone missiles, was announced by President Dmitry Medvedev during his first state-of-the-nation address on Wednesday.
The system is to be placed in the enclave of Kaliningrad near Poland which will host 10 missile interceptors as part of Washington’s planned defense missile shield.
Moscow has repeatedly opposed to the US’ plan saying it constituted a threat to its security besides looming large as a ‘nuclear deterrent’.
The missiles made for a “cheap and effective” precaution and were sure to ‘nullify’ possible threats posed by the shield, said the Russian ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin after the presidential address.
The decision aims to push Washington into reconsidering the move as the entire Polish territory falls within the range of the Iskander-Ms. The system is also capable of targeting expanses of the Czech Republic which is slated for hosting a tracking radar as part of the shield.
The source added that the Iskander system will be also stationed in Belarus in line with Russia’s ‘asymmetric’ copying of the shield.
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Note: For more info on this system check here. I would only add here that I have no sympathy for the Poles or the Czechs whatsoever – they did this to themselves by agreeing to be the sniveling sycophants of the US Empire. As any idiot knows, there is no missile threat from Iran for Europe and there was no missile threat from Russia either until the US Neocons decided to deploy the American radar/missile system. Now there is, and there is precious little anyone can do against the Russian response as the combined capabilities of the Iskander-M SRBM and Topol-M ICBM provide Russia with a combination of short-range and long-range missile systems fully capable of evading and defeating any existing or forseeable Western ABM system.
Though I agree that the Russian response about the future ABM system in the Czech Republic and Poland is justifiable and unavoidable (as it is a big threat to Russian security), I do feel sympathy for Czechs and Poles. As polls show, most of the population in both countries oppose the construction of US ABM system. There were victims of Washington’ strategic games and their opinion simply don’t count. Once more, the nnocent will have to pay.
Saker, 200% right. I only wonder how come the US decision makers overlooked the emergence of RAMJET strike missiles of all types. Or hybrid ones – rocket + ramjet engines, cruise + rocket (final phase), etc. Soon we will witness next category of this kind of weapons – scramjets.
Ramjet, Scramjet and PDE
@carlo: I should tell you that I am no less mad at *west* Europeans who did not even have the two excuses the East Europeans have:
a) a paranoia about “the Russians” coming back
b) the desire for money and integration into the EU
I lived most of my life in Europe and I know how Europeans can protest when they mean business. From the mega-riots against the Malville nuclear plant, to superb WTO riots, to strikes which paralyze an entire country like France, the Europeans have a strong and excellent tradition of protest.
But here – *nothing*.
Remember how the peace movement blocked US bases because of the Pershing missiles?
But here – *nothing*
Remember how the French Papists put over one millionpeople in the streets of Paris over their schools?
But here – *nothing*
I will say this as a European myself: the slavish attitude of the European PUBLIC is a disgrace and the Europeans themselves deserve every bit of pain and aggravation the Russians will send their way for being the brown-nosing cowards they are.
I guess you can tell that I am rather pissed at my continent of birth, eh? But remember, it’s my real love for Europe and Europeans – which I very much miss every day – which makes me so mad…
VS
Within 20 years from now Chirac had asked Putin that Russia should be part of the European Union, but I don’t think it will ever happen because Russians never forgot what Nazi Germany did against them, and it seems like Russia and China have other projects.
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@Politiques USA
“Within 20 years from now Chirac had asked Putin that Russia should be part of the European Union, but I don’t think it will ever happen because Russians never forgot what Nazi Germany did against them”
You may be amazed, but in fact Russians don’t have hard feelings against neither Germany, nor the Germans in general. The Russians consider Germany as a friendly country.
What happened between them back in 1941-1945 – doesn’t really affect their current relationship. You may say that the Russians consider the Germans as respected fighters and don’t bear a grudge against them.
They payed for what they’d done to Russia and the case is closed.
The reason why Russia will not become a EU member is much more complex. But one of the main complications here would be the USA resistance to that.
In fact, I think that under no circumstances the USA will allow that to happen.
The rationale used by the US – that the “missile shield” is aimed at controlling Iranian rogue missiles makes no sense whatsoever. ABM’s are designed to kill ICBM’s in their boost phase, and it would be far more logical to place such a system in countries closest to Iran, such as Kuwait, Turkey, Iraq or Azerbaijan. The missile shield is squarely aimed at Russia, as a ‘testing of the waters’, so to speak.
No wonder the Russians are freaked out.
The Russians clearly said that Iskander will be deployed only if and after the ABM is deployed.
What is interesting – it’s the reaction of EU. They got so unhappy and concerned with possibility to face Iskanders set up on Russian territory. That’s odd. They didn’t have any problems with American missiles on their own territory.
@ Alibi: Europe is clearly divided in terms of foreign policy, but at the way it’s going right now for the US (the country is collapsing economically) they won’t be able anymore to bribe european countries with their dollar, moving from a lone superpower to a simple regional block without political influence.
Saker, have a look at this:
“MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) – Mayors of 15 Czech cities are to ask U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to abandon the Bush administration’s plans to place a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic, a member of the European parliament said on Monday.
The agreement to station a U.S. radar near a military area about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Prague was signed on July 8 by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
“Heads of local administrations [near the proposed radar site] are planning to ask Obama to pay attention not only to the position of the central government of this country, but also to the opinion expressed by local residents,” said Giulietto Chiesa, who is visiting the Czech Republic on behalf of another 18 European MP who oppose U.S. missile shield plans for Central Europe.
According to recent public opinion polls, two-thirds of Czechs are against the planned stationing of a U.S. missile defense radar base on Czech soil.”
http://en.rian.ru/world/20081110/118227718.html
OK, it is not the kind of big manifestations, strikes or riots that you say there should be. But some kind of activity exists, even on the level of the Euro Parliament. Still not enough, but better than nothing.
@bruno
Couldn’t agree more on that. In fact the only chance of intercepting a projectile, is during its initial flight. Afterwards, tracking of such a fast and small object becomes really difficult, if not impossible, let alone to shoot it down. So you’re absolutely right: to shield against rockets launched from Iran, the natural place to place intercept missiles whould be near Iran (Turkey would be ideal wouldn’t it?), not thousands miles away. Only fools cannot grasp this!
Hi fellow readers,
A few pictures proving your claims:
Russia Should Embrace Turkey into CIS!
Explainig BMD’s The Only Goal
Why did the West ignore the truth about the war in Georgia?
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-dejevsky/mary-dejevsky-why-did-the-west-ignore-the-truth-about-the-war-in-georgia-1012234.html