How General Bluffed Obama

The Russian authority suspended accommodation of rocket complexes "Iskander" in the Kaliningrad Region that "the new president of the USA did not look lame duck in opinion of the Americans". Such opinion today, on January, 28 was expressed to the correspondent of IA REGNUM by the political scientist of the Russian State University named after Kant (in Kaliningrad) Vladimir Abramov. We shall remind today representative of Joint Staff of Armed Forces of Russia declared that works on expansion of prestrategic rocket systems "Iskander" in the Kaliningrad Region were suspended, as "the new American administration does not force plans on expansion of the third missile launching area of the American ballistic missile defence in Poland and Czechia".

"The fact that we took a pause in November [after corresponding application of the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. - IA REGNUM] and suspended now "iskanderisation" of the Kaliningrad Region - was quite reasonable step", - the political scientist considers. In his opinion, "if Russia would continue pressing fresh administration of the USA in this question and young president would give in to pressure of the Russians, the Americans apprehend it as Obama's weakness". Ytro.ru

Interlocutor of IA REGNUM believes that the Russian authorities made the decision "not to exhaust partners in conditions when they will be compelled to say no".

However there soon appeared a message that the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation called messages of some mass-media "nonsense", the ones that Russia ostensibly suspended works on accommodation in the Kaliningrad Region of prestrategic rocket systems "Iskander" which were planned to deploy in that western enclave in reply to accommodation of objects of ballistic missile defence of the USA in Europe, transfers PRIME - TASS.

"How it's possible to stop some actions which have never been begun? Certainly, these messages - pure water story, is bosh dog", - high rank representative of Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation told ITAR-TASS.

"First of all, to place "Iskander" near Kaliningrad is necessary to produce them first. Then what does it mean "to suspend works on accommodation" - what works they are talking about? The one who says so even doesn't know that we are talking about mobile systems for which it is not necessary to carry out any engineering works, to create missile launching area or other objects. Simply at proper time fighting machines will arrive to some certain region and will be ready to strike. That's all", - the representative of Ministry of Defence explained.

He reminded that, according to applications of the supreme Russian management, prestrategic rocket systems "Iskander" were planned to be placed in the Kaliningrad Region only in reply to accommodation of elements of ballistic missile defence of the USA in Europe which could begin not earlier than in 2013.

From editorial board: We shall notice that both boshes about "Iskanders" in the Kaliningrad Region have some high-ranking anonyms in the Ministry of Defence as the source and are being relayed by official, state mass-media (ITAR-TASS, "Interfax", "News", etc.) If it is information policy in the field of national defense, the best way is to judge about real state of things in this area from informal, even oppositional mass-media.

Let's say, already in November of the last year there was the comment on FORUM.msk in relation of systems "Iskander" "Russia Will Answer Placement of Ballistic Missile System in Europe with "Mythological rocket complex". Here you an extract from there word-by-word:

"All this very much reminds applications of the times of struggle of "successors", when Sergey Ivanov constantly told about almost unreal projects which were put off to him by assistants, - editor-in-chief of FORUM,msk Anatoly Baranov reminded. - It turned out to be very silly. Now who and whom makes to speak up? Whether we bluff before Obama? We frighten ballistic missile system with some radiosuppression. Now we promise to equip five brigades by "Iskander" for 6 year and one more Belarus one near Mogilyov. It's another matter that it should be done in conditions of crisis, while we could produce two-three such systems at most annually during better times. Now we want to produce whole six brigades. Not very real. The main question - what do we need so many "Iskander" for?

I mentioned one more nuance - from Kaliningrad to Prague there are 600 kilometers on the straight. Maximum range of "Iskander" after modernization - 480 kilometers. Then what we are talking about?

That is the "secret" of the Joint Staff that there are practically no "Iskander" for the present in general was revealed to us 2 months prior to a semi-official organ. At that, as against of the generals of Ministry of Defence, we specify here surname, name and post. Perhaps because we put our money where our mouth is or may be because we understand questions of the defensive industry better, than our "parquet" generals. It's - to the question that during future revolution there will be questions with national defense - say, opposition is insufficiently competent and "professionals" will not work.

So, "professionals", declaring that "simply at proper time fighting machines will arrive to some certain region and will be ready to strike", show elementary guiltlessness of geography. I have already talked about distances. But in fact so that the ground complex could "simply arrive", it should cross somehow not only the territory of friendly Belarus but also the territory of a member of NATO Lithuania or a member of NATO Poland. Certainly there is still a sea way, there is aircraft but it means not "simply arrive". Similar deliveries of large-sized cargoes are usually traced, as there is a mode of agreements and contracts on conventional armaments.

Perhaps, the only thing which is going well in the Ministry of Defence - relates to hats. Win by sheer numbers. Everything is also ok with humanity - they pitted Obama, they say he doesn't sleep well. If nonexistent "Iskander" "will arrive" having crossed two borders and will reach the British seas? What a horror!

Аnatoly Baranov

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