Russia has claimed that a new US ballistic missile base in Redzikowo, northern Poland, increases the level of nuclear danger and that it is a prime target in any possible Russian attack.
The Redzikowo air-defence base, which was opened on November 13 near the Baltic coast, is part of a broader NATO missile shield, encompassing installations in Poland, Romania, Spain and Turkey, dubbed”Aegis Ashore”. According to the alliance, the shield can intercept short to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.
Reuters reported that on November 21, the Russian foreign ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed the Polish base constituted a provocation.
“This is another, frankly, provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies in the North Atlantic Alliance in the strategic sphere….This leads to undermining strategic stability, increasing strategic risks and, as a result, to an increase in the overall level of nuclear danger,” Zakharova reportedly said.
She then warned that the missile base was a potential target for a Russian attack.
“Given the nature and level of threats posed by such Western military facilities, the missile defence base in Poland has long been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction, which, if necessary, can be executed with a wide range of advanced weapons,” Zakharova said.
Pawel Wronski, Poland’s foreign ministry spokesman, responded by telling reporters on November 21 that there were no nuclear missiles at the base, which was purely for “defence, not attack”.
He added that the Russian statements about attacking Redzikowo were evidence that NATO needed to strengthen its defences. “Such threats will certainly serve as an argument to strengthen Poland’s and NATO’s air defences, and should also be considered by the United States.”
On the same day Poland scrambled aircraft and put its air defence systems on alert as Russia launched a major missile attack on Ukraine.
The Polish military issued a statement assuring that “all necessary procedures have been initiated” to ensure the security of Polish airspace and that the situation was “being monitored on an ongoing basis”.
It also said Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on November 21, with operational command “taking steps to ensure safety” in areas near the Ukrainian border and that there were no violations of Polish airspace during the Russian airstrikes on western Ukraine.
The tensions between Russia and NATO states has been ratcheted up by outgoing US President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles and the Ukrainians firing them deep into Russian territory.
The airport in Rzeszow in south-eastern Poland also acts as an effective hub for military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and military experts said they believed it could be vulnerable to a Russian attack, should the Kremlin decide to target countries that have been helping Ukraine.
