Russia may deploy missiles in Belarus soon

A military structure, which should become a response to deploying US missile shield elements in Poland and the Czech Republic, will appear near western borders of the countries -members Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

As Russian “Gazeta” reports, it was said by CSTO secretary-general Nikolai Bordyuzha.

“I would like to say that it is one of elements of work carried out on borders of CSTO member-states to create a new military infrastructure and revive certain elements of the time of the Soviet Union,” the secretary-general said.

He noted CSTO member-countries worried about the fact that strategic military objects are deployed around them, which can be transformed in different ways, defensive weapon can be turned into attack weapon. “Naturally, this affects the security of the states and we are taking this into account in our actions,” Bordyuzha emphasised.

It is clear from his words that a military grouping would be created at the western borders of Belarus and Russia. Other countries of this area, Ukraine and Moldova, are members of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development, whose members are Georgia and Azerbaijan aw well.

As general-colonel Viktor Esin, first vice-president of the Academy for Security, Defence, Law and Order Studies, says, the case is in deployment of Iskander-M missile systems in Belarus, which are able to hit missile shield elements in the Czech Republic.

“If a decision on deployment of Iskanders in Kaliningradn region is taken, they will be able to attack only ballistic missile defence elements in Poland, but if they are deployed in Belarus, they will be able to reach the Czech Republic,” the general-colonel explained to a “Gazeta” correspondent.

He also added another retaliatory step would be using of air base in Machulishchy, at 100 km from Minsk, for location of strategic bomber aircrafts. Esin also said Russian Topol ballistic missiles were deployed in Belarus under the Soviet time. But he said nobody would deploy these complexes or new Topol-M in Belarus.

Vitaly Shlykov, retired Main Intelligence Directorate Colonel, member of the council of foreign and defensive policy, told to a “Gazeta” correspondent, formatting of ne military gripping was possible by means of deployment of mixed special subdivisions at the western borders of SCTO members, and by means of a united Rapid attack identification detection reporting system. Shlykov doubts whether existing of this structure is purposeful. He supposed, putting into practice present ideas in military sector would be stopped on political motives.

In the meantime, the new military structure, spoken about by Bordyuzha, may be put into practice as far as in a month, after sessions of the SCTO constitutional bodies. It is planned that they wil take place in late August-early September with participation of ministers of defence, finance and foreign affaires as well as secretaries of the security councils and presidents of the SCTO member-countries. Consultations in Moscow held last week were focused on the4se sessions. Representatives of the SCTO member-countries discussed about 20 working documents, which are planned to be signed in autumn, in particular agreement on joint training of secret services staff, worked out on the analogy with the acting military agreement, and an agreement on inter-state working group on creating railway technical defence system in the SCTO countries.