Deployment of Iskander missiles to Baltic outpost alarms neighbours but Russia says move is part of regular drill

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Russia has played down the significance of the deployment of nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to the Russian outpost of Kaliningrad after the move led to protests from Estonia, Poland and Lithuania, underlining tensions about Russian intentions.

The deployment of the missiles was part of regular drills and was not a secret, the Russian defence ministry insisted.

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“First of all, the authors behind the fuss should know that the Iskander missile system is a mobile one,” said a ministry spokesman, Gen Igor Konashenkov.

“As part of the combat training plan, units of the missile forces throughout the year improve their marching capabilities by covering great distances across the territory of the Russian Federation in various ways: by air, sea and on their own.”

Konashenkov said that Kaliningrad “is no exemption here” and that the system would be relocated to the exclave in the future “as part of the military training of the Russian armed forces.”

The Iskander-M, first introduced to the Russian military in 2013, is designed to target missile systems, rocket launchers, long-range artillery and command posts as well as aircraft and helicopters. It has a range of 500km (310 miles) and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and its deployment led to deep concern in Estonia.

Poland also voiced its concerns over the relocation of the weapons. “Recent activity by the Russian Federation raises concerns,” Poland’s defence minister, Antoni Macierewicz, said on Saturday. He said the country’s military was in “permanent readiness” to ensure the security of Poland and its allies.

“The deployment not only increases tensions in the region but also possibly violates international treaties,” Lithuania’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius, was quoted as saying by Reuters. He also promised to raise the issue at the next Russia-Nato summit.

The deputy head of the defense committee in Russia’s federation council, Frants Klintsevich, countered by saying that other states “should not fear” the move. He said the deployment is “part of the drill” since Russia “is not at war” with anyone.