Russia responds US with Iskanders: missiles may be deployed in Belarus
- 6.03.2009, 9:11
The Russian Ministry of Defence will buy Islanders in response to deployment of US anti-missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Lenta.ru reports that Russia plans to create new factory-assembled missile warning UHF radar stations.
It was said by deputy minister of defence of Russian Vladimir Popovkin. The army officials are also going to complete a number of scientific research and development tests in this sphere and increase volume of purchase of Iskander complexes.
On February 27, 2009, Voronezh-DM radar in Armavir was put on combat duty. It replaced the Ukrainian radar systems in Sevastopol and Mukachevo that were turned off as they had become operationally obsolete. Russian military men thinks the warning sites deployed abroad may be used to press upon Russia.
The Ministry of Defence hasn’t rejected an idea of deployment of Iskander missile systems in western regions of Russia, as it was first announced by president Dmitry Medvedev last year. Earlier, there appeared information that deployment of Iskander missiles had been suspended because the US administration hadn’t speeded up deployment of anti-missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Russian Ministry of Defence also plans to deliver Iskander missiles to other regions. But the US and the European states worry more about willingness of Russia to deploy these complexes in the near border Kaliningrad region. The complexes may cover the regions, where the US anti-missile elements are to be deployed. Iskander missiles are able to target fire systems, anti-missile systems, aircraft at airfields, command posts and communications nodes at a distance of 500km.
It should be reminded that on February 3, Russia and Belarus signed an agreement on collective control of the air border of the “union state” and creation of the Integrated Regional System of Air Defence. The document was signed in the Kremlin after a session of the Supreme State Council of the “union state” in the presence of heads of Russian and Belarus.
As General Colonel Aleksandr Zelin, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Russia, said earlier that the regional air defence system would consist of five aviation units, 10 air defence missile units, five radio-radar units, one electronic warfare unit.
In due time, Russia almost gave up an idea to deploy Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region.
At the same time, according to independent experts, it can’t be excluded that signing of the agreement on Russian-Belarusian collective air defence system may activate intentions on deployment of Iskander missiles on the territory of Belarus. Moreover, Lukashenka repeatedly expressed his desire to buy these complexes for the army in the frames of the planned rearmament.