It is not where and when there will be another “Iskander” or something murderous. The main thing is to accompany this action was so much noise that even to the Minister of defence of Poland came,…
“Do not frighten us, and to boast of the arrogant.
We do not need to threaten, and again to play with fire…”
The placement of missile complexes “Iskander” in the Kaliningrad region have caused “serious concern” at the Minister of defence of Poland. His colleagues from NATO countries have agreed to hold an emergency meeting to draw up a response. And this time it is much more than a regular Polish paranoia. Finally, NATO correctly grasped the hint from Russia.
First, Russia just threatened to cudgel – do not meddle
The deployment of “Iskander” in the Kaliningrad region a long history. In November 2008 (that is, hot on the heels of the war in South Ossetia), the then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in his address to the Federal Assembly said that the response to the deployment of us missile defense in Poland will be the redeployment in the Kaliningrad region complexes “Iskander”. Then the US has slowed down its programme of creating a European missile defense – and for two years the issue is put on hold, because from Moscow’s deployment of Iskander was motivated as retaliatory and defensive measure.
Then, the logic was simple: no us missile defense in Poland – there is no Iskander missiles on the Baltic coast. But by the end of 2011, the United States revived its missile defense program, just modifying it, the situation gradually began to deteriorate and Medvedev reiterated the warning about the “Iskander”.
It must be emphasized that in 2008 there are no Iskander missiles in service with the Russian army in sufficient quantities was not, from Moscow it was a promising threat, which was consistent with the theoretical timing of the deployment of American “Patriot” in Poland and Romania. However, the first complexes were transferred to the troops on the southern direction, which at that time was considered the main and 26th missile brigade of the Western military district in the town of Luga in Leningrad region. The completion of this brigade (12 launchers) happened in 2011. All other teams received “Iskander” as their production, and fully Russian army should go to this kind of weapons only by 2018. But the priority, again, was given it is the North-Western direction.
From 2011 to our days “Iskander” in the test mode several times were moved to Kaliningrad, but every time I returned to the Meadow. It is difficult from the point of view of logistics, but the mechanism has been worked out so clearly that it is constantly reflexing Poland and Lithuania haven’t noticed, despite the overrated American satellites. About the participation of “Iskander” in the teachings in the Kaliningrad region have learned after the fact, and much noise no one raised, the benefit was known in advance that missiles back under Peter.
For particularly stupid
The current deployment of Iskander in the Kaliningrad region was held exclusively and defiantly not in the framework of preparation for the exercises. The complexes were loaded onto the cargo ship “the Levee”, and the process is deliberately “light up” on an American satellite. The explanation that all this was done in order to “define the parameters of American satellite” look to the Ministry of defence formless mockery because there is nothing interesting in these “parameters” is not (the apogee and perigee a is not known? or the number of camera pixels?). Mockery look and details of the relocation of “Iskander”.
Ferry “Ambal” – the ship is so civil that it is easy to buy tickets and to secure a dubious pleasure to overcome all the Baltic sea from North to South in the fall to pitching under the icy side “svensky” (Swedish) wind. Place in the first class cabin will cost just five and a half thousand rubles. But transport “specialized vehicles” to 12 meters long will cost 39 bucks apiece and six thousand for port forwarding. Inexpensive by the standards of the Ministry of defence.
On this line run three similar characteristics of the ferry. And this line was especially created in order to ensure the availability of the Kaliningrad region after Lithuania, curled into a tank hedgehog, tried to complicate the message of the enclave from the mainland Russia by rail (they have then “little green men” in passenger trains were caught, but none never caught, which is usually in dementia). By and large, it would be possible for Drakkar Viking “Iskander” move – for greater clarity.
The very existence of Anthony of Makarevicha to the post of Minister of defence of Poland – a historical anomaly that is clear to most sensible of poles. It’s not even in his political and historical views, imaginatively constructed from socialtechmedia, Russophobia and anti-Semitism (shaken, not stirred). The strange thing is that a person who publicly disclosed a number of current employees and agents of the Polish intelligence service (including in the Arab world that could threaten those people agonizing death) for the sake of realization of their strange political views, still holds the position of Minister of defense. But it’s still an internal problem of Poland, where such anomalies, even more than in Lithuania and in the Baltic States.
Importantly, in this particular case, the Minister of Macierewicz absolutely correctly understood a hint from the Russian side. The deployment of “Iskander” in the Kaliningrad region significantly changes the military-political situation in the region, since in fact creates tactical superiority of the Russian Armed forces. Neither Poland nor its allies, including the U.S., have systems that could withstand the shock of “Iskander” against pinpoint targets in Poland. The Russian Ministry of defense, smiling and winking, insisting that the redeployment of missiles on the “levee” – a common event, and nobody seems to be is not going to leave them on the Baltic coast on a permanent basis. US supply of Poland (specifically Makarevich) don’t believe it, but to prove the reverse can not.
All of this can be left to the conscience of the Polish and American way of thinking, if not a new reality that this notorious way of thinking caught. The presence of “Iskander” in the Kaliningrad region (and under Peter) really changed the military-political situation in the region. Another thing is that to convince “our Western partners” in the existence of this new reality had a mocking manner. The words of Medvedev in 2008 was regarded as something like the threats of Khrushchev in 1962, and the brightest minds in the CIA and in the military intelligence service of Poland, it seemed, were convinced that the “Iskander” Russia in a reindeer-drawn moves. And they’re all the same “cell” as said (again smiling) in the Ministry of defence. Them if desired, and in Chukotka to deliver, and to Kaliningrad. And the desire is now. Even a lot of.
