Missile launchers Iskander can be deployed in Belarus

Missile launchers Iskander or strategic bombers could be deployed in Belarus as a response to deploying US anti-missile system in the Czech Republic and Poland.

It has been told by Russian Ambassador to Belarus Alexander Surikov at a press-conference in Minsk.

“Belarus and Russia are squeeze by the agreement of 1994 on pullout of nuclear weapons from the territory of Belarus, which guarantor was the US. Nobody can violate anti-nuclear agreement, but issues connected to the anti-missile actions could be considered,” A. Surikov said.

In particular, he specified that the matter could concern “possible deploying of missile complexes Iskander in belarus, about possible deploying of strategic bombers in Belarus, Kaliningrad, and so on”.

As said by the ambassador, all these actions could be discussed only after the US sign the agreement with Poland, and then different response measures could be taken, “excluding nuclear armaments deployment”.

As the Charter’97 press-centre informed, Russian military men state that use of the Machulishchi air base near Minsk for deploying strategic bombers is possible.

According to general-major Viktor Esin, first vice president of the Academy of Security, Defense Law Order and Problems, deployment of Iskander-M missiles, able to hit anti-missile elements in the Czech Republic may be discussed. He thinks another possible response is using of air base Machulishchy (near Minsk) for strategic bomber aircrafts. Finally, the general found it necessary to remind that Topol mobile missiles were deployed in Belarus in the Soviet Times.

Moscow threatened by “adequate measures” many times, when the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, and later Slovakia and the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Romania were admitted to the NATO.