Russia threatens Norway over alleged deployment of US missile systems

Russia has threatened Norway over the alleged deployment of American missile systems that could place Moscow and a broad area of European Russia within range of Tomahawk cruise missiles.

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We view the appearance in Europe of American systems capable of launching intermediate- and shorter-range missiles as yet another step in the endless series of sharply destabilising actions by NATO countries.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, described the reported appearance of the systems in Norway as another destabilising move by NATO countries. She said Moscow was taking into account their ability to launch intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, as well as long-range Tomahawks.

Zakharova warned that the deployment sites, command and control facilities, and infrastructure supporting the American systems would receive particular attention from Russia's strategic deterrence forces. She said that included planning for the combat use of relevant strike assets if an armed conflict occurred.

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These systems can be used to fire long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, and their deployment in this northern European country brings a significant swathe of European Russia within range, Moscow included.

The statement also came against the backdrop of Norway's detention of the Russian vessel Professor Molchanov at the port of Barentsburg on 2 September. Norwegian authorities acted at the request of Naftogaz Group, Ukraine's national oil and gas company, a decision that Zakharova criticised.

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In this regard, it should come as no surprise to those in Washington and Oslo who decided to deploy these systems in Norway that, as part of Russia's response measures, the deployment sites and control facilities for the American systems, along with the infrastructure servicing them, are becoming the subject of particular attention from the Russian Federation's strategic deterrence forces, including planning for the combat use of the relevant strike assets in the event of an armed conflict.