Russia blackmails EU by Iskanders in Kaliningrad and “changes in force grouping” in Belarus

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation blackmails Europe with beefing up its forces in Kaliningrad if the US stations its tanks in Lithuania and Poland.

Russia will respond to the deployment of NATO heavy weapons in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, the news that was earlier reported by the media, with strengthening its forces in the western direction. General Yuri Yakubov, the coordinator the Defence Ministry's Office of the Inspectors General, told Interfax that Russia will “have to do it” if military hardware “really appears in the countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltics”, NEWSru.com reports.

The representative of Russia's Ministry of Defence suggested that “the group of forces along the perimeter of the western border of Russia will be strengthened and new tank, artillery and air bases will be set up”. In particular, the missile brigade in the Kaliningrad region will get Iskander missile systems. “The Russian joint group in Belarus will be reorganised significantly, and so on,” Yakubov said.

Foreign media reported earlier that the White House and the Pentagon may station heavy weapons in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe, including Lithuania, Latvia Estonia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and possibly Hungary. No decisions have been taken so far, according to US officials. They say the move can be made to deter possible Russian aggression in Europe. Poland and Lithuania, the countries that earlier worried about Russia's aggression, confirmed the talks with the US.

The Kremlin refused to comment on the situation. “There have been no statements by the US, so don't have anything to say yet. We will give our comments as soon as any statements are made,” Russian president's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.