Posted on 05/31/2006 9:27:24 AM PDT by lizol
Russian missiles on Polish border
31.05.2006
Several Russian anti ballistic missiles have been placed on the Belarus-Polish border.
Report by Agnieszka Bielawska
The arrival of the missiles to the 115 air defense brigade have made this unit twice as powerful as it was before. The nearness of the missiles to the Polish border has given rise for concern since Poland’s troublesome eastern neighbour, Belarus, has received a very modern and powerful defense tool.
Piotr Zochowski from the East European Studies center in Warsaw says the move was expected.
In line with the declaration last year made by the Russian defence ministry on modernization of the Belrus armed forces the deployment of the missiles completes the arrangement. The issue which in Poland can be speculated on is whether this country is in possession of equally modern equipment.
And according to reports Poland has no such powerful anti ballistic missiles. Thus the deployment of the S-300 on the Polish Belarus border is a challenge to Poland, says military expert Wojciech Luczak.
The range of the missiles reaches far beyond the Polish capital and they are good enough to destroy almost everything flying over Poland. In declarations the Belarus armed forces officials say that it is purely a defense system but in case of any crisis it can destroy the AWAX planes flying over Poland as part of the NATO air defense system.
Polish-Belarus relations have been chilly ever since the Belarus authorities accused this country of interfering into the internal affairs of Belarus and supporting the democratic opposition in that country. Additionally Poland’s EU and NATO membership have not been to the liking of Moscow. This recent appearance of the S-300 on the Belarus Polish border is a signal of the importance Russia and Belarus pay to the pact of joint air defense system says Piotr Zochowski.
In a truly propaganda manner Belarus and Russia have underlined the significance of the pact and related it to the alleged increase of security threats coming from Poland, due to this country’s acceptance of the offer for the F-16 fighters and the possible deployment of the US anti missile defense system so called Son of Star wars on Polish territory and the territories of other Central European states.
Wojciech Luczak compares the situation to the times when Cyprus and Greece planned to deploy anti ballistic missiles close to the Turkish border but underlines that the presence of the Russian S-300 close to the Polish border is not a threat rather a tough nut to crack for the Polish authorities.
I think it is a part of Moscow’s game with Poland using the Belarus assets and geographical position. It is not a threat to Poland but a challenge to Polish decision makers especially defense minister Radoslaw Sikorski. I think they are trying to put minister Sikorski in an awkward position.
The deployment of the S-300 wound up the deal on a joint Belarus Russian air defense system, and this year another deal is to be signed allowing free movement of planes between both states without any additional agreements or political decisions.
Don't fall for this trap. They want an outcry out of Poland. Ignore them.
Yep.
Poland should respond, "These are defensive missles, and we will not be attacking Russia, so we don't care. That said, Russia might think about a more needed deployment near China."
That they should. If Putin doesn't watch it he'll go down in history as the guy who lost the far Eastern district to China. As it stands Vladivostok is pert near Chinese (and Korean) now anyway. Advertisements to learn Chinese were nearly double the ones to learn English when I was there.
Russia would be better off putting these defense systems on their border with China... or on their Southern border along the flight paths from Iran.
These systems are probably for Iran. They just don't want to sell them directly.
Put them somewhere where Muslims can steal them and sell them to Iran?
Hmm....
I assume its to Protect Lukashenko from possible Polish-Nato Airstrike on his headquarters -:)))))
Or from the swarms of NATO spies flying over the Belarus (Sarcasm).
Damn, we've been preparing this invasion for several years and now all the effort and expenses are fu***d up! :-)))
Wrong. Belarus and Russia has a common air-defence system with a joint command. Those S-300 missiles are to secure the western approach to Russia and Belorus.
As simple as that. And nobody cares for the Minister Sikorski position. Frankly, I can't get why it may worsen.
NATO on Clinton's orders bombed Serbia, killing Christians to advance the cause of Al Qaeda. It can hardly be taken for granted that everything Poles are doing in their airspace is either NATO related, or for the common good.
Poland, as you folk have well noted, has been nationalistics, and interventionalistic throughout the region and its good to have a check against the gross interventionalism Poland has been exhibiting before they do something crzy like act unilaterally outside of NATO to attack something and cause a war.
I'll be happy when Polish nationalists are realized for what they are; anti-Christian EU activists funding abortion in other nations out of ethnic hate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.