Deployment of missiles in Belarus is Russia’s propaganda act

Deployment of missiles in Belarus can’t stand against US anti-missile shield in Central Europe, said NATO official Spokesman James Appathurai in Brussels.

"Any discussion of targeting Western Europe with missiles, from any party, is anachronistic, unwelcome and unhelpful," said NATO spokesman.

As Charter’97 press center informed, Belarus will buy Russian missile systems Iskander on favorable conditions. According to commander of the Belarusian Missile Forces and Artillery Col. Mikhail Puzikau, the brigade № 465 in the village Tsel near Asipovichy will be equipped with Iskander by 2015-2020. It is armed now with Tactical Operational Missile Complex Tochka-U.

Missile system Iskander has range of 200 km, can carry cluster and HE fragmentation warheads.

According to commander of the Russian Missile Forces and Artillery general Vladimir Zaritski, supply Iskander to Belarus can become an answer to deployment of the elements of the US missile defence in Czech Republic and Poland.

According to general Zaritski, these missile systems do not fall within the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. But, he explained, if the political decision is taken to leave the INF treaty, Russia will increase the military capabilities of the complex, including its range up to 500 km.

It should be reminded that the Russian State Duma voted to withdraw from the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty last week.

Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke about the problems of producing intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in third world countries on the security conference in Munich last February.

Chief of the Russian General Staff Yuri Baluevski said this February about unilateral Russia’s withdrawal from the treaty.

The INF treaty was signed by the USA and the USSR on December 8, 1987. It forbids the parties to have, buy, produce and construct ballistic missiles with intermediate ranges defined as between 500-5500 km.

Radio Svaboda asked Aliaksandr Alesin, military journalist of the news-paper “Belorusy in Rynok”, to comment Russia’s intention to deploy Iskander missile systems in Belarus.

“We can’t say it is a direct answer to the deployment of elements of the US missile systems in Europe. Even if install them on the border, their range is 300 km. They are not targeted at the potential objects of the US missile systems in Poland, but sure it is a demarche.

The opportunities to deploy Iskander systems in Belarus have been talked over for a long time. But the process of the deployment has anticipated in the frames of new Russia’s aggressive policy towards the West.

I think it is a propaganda act, first of all. However much there Russian missiles are, the NATO is more powerful. But by these actions Russia demonstrates its attitude towards the West.

The West presses on Lukashenka, making him to fulfil the democratic norms, and Russia gives him arms, which Russia itself hasn’t in service. So, the information that Belarus will soon buy Iskander systems on favourable conditions is unpleasant news for the Baltic countries and Poland, taking into consideration that Warsaw and other strategic sites are situated at a distance of 180-250 km from the border.

I think the reaction of the West will be very acute. Moreover, the Iskander system has such military characteristics, that anti-missile systems can’t destroy it. The missiles can change the trajectory during flight, warhead is produced on stealth technology, missile can be targeted via satellite or by map-matching guidance. The missile can be retargeted during flight. It is the most progressive system, even Russia itself isn’t armed with it,” the expert said.