The American anti-missile shield targets Russia: Makarov.

 

Tehran, February 11, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Russia’s top military official says the US anti-missile shield is a direct threat to his country despite general assurances from Washington that the system is not aimed at Russia.

 

The chief of staff of the Russian Army, General Nikolai Makarov, told reporters in Moscow, the development and installation of broad defense systems close to Russia’s borders pose a major threat to Russia.  ‘The American anti-missile shield targets Russia, despite the official statements from Washington,’ Makarov said on Tuesday.

 

The United States and Russia have been seeking to renew the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) before its expiry date on December last year. But a sudden push by the Obama administration to boost US military presence around Russia’s vast territory has prompted Moscow to make necessary adjustments to its own military doctrine following the new threats. One of Russia’s main concerns is the deployment of advance Patriot missile system in eastern Poland very close to Kaliningrad. 

 

The US says the Patriots would stop incoming missile attacks against European targets from countries like Iran, but the illogical nature of this argument becomes apparent when it is known that Iran does not posses long-range missiles to reach Europe, whereas the only country that has huge missile capabilities is Russia.   

 

In response to America’s sabre rattling against Russia, Moscow immediately announced boosting its naval presence in the Baltic Sea and other strategic locations. Also, last week Kremlin issued a new military doctrine in which Moscow would take a more pro-active role countering external threats.