Russia could aim its nuclear weapons at any NATO facility in response to aggressive actions by the alliance and NATO’s attempts to “draw into its orbit more and more countries,” the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Franz Klintsevich, said to reporters.

“In response to the aggressive actions of NATO, the attempts of the alliance to draw into its orbit more and more countries, Russia will give a harsh and unequivocal answer. We will aim our weapons, including nuclear, at any facilities of the alliance that threaten us, no matter where they are located,” the senator said.

Klintsevich clarified to RIA Novosti that “when we talk about nuclear weapons, we are talking about nuclear arms that can be placed on the carrier in the land, mobile, sea and air weapons.”

Earlier, Viktor Ozerov, head of the Federation Council Committee on Defense, said to RIA Novosti that, in response to the deployment of US missile-defense systems in Europe, Russia will be forced to strengthen air defense in the western direction and use additional forces and resources to protect the facilities and control centers. According to him, this strengthening includes the placement of the Iskanders in Kaliningrad, as well as the creation of new military units in the western and southern military districts.
Spokesman for the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Russia is doing all that is necessary to protect itself against the backdrop of the expansion of NATO towards its borders.

Earlier the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed media reports about the relocation of Iskander-M mobile missile complexes to the Kaliningrad region. According to the official representative of the Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, “Nobody made a big secret out of the transportation of the complex.” Moreover, “One Iskander was purposely exposed for the American reconnaissance satellite flying over to clarify the parameters at which the spacecraft operates.”

  Russia, NATO

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