Russians move SRBMs to Kaliningrad

[Bengalzona]

There is strong evidence that Russia is stationing 9K720 Iskander (NATO: SS-26) mobile short range ballistic missile systems at their Kaliningrad enclave in the Baltic Sea.

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/12/08/504737811/russia-seen-moving-new-missiles-to-eastern-europe?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=202809

Russia has been threatening to station the missiles in the area for several years.

The Iskander missile is the modern ancestor of the Scud missiles. It is state of the art. It is capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear weapons. The system has been in the Russian inventory for approximately 10 years and was utilized in combat in Georgia where an Iskander strike destroyed 28 Georgian tanks. The weapon system has very good accuracy and is reported to be far more reliable than the old Scud missile system. The missiles have a range of approximately 500-600 km (310-372 miles). What makes this missile system particularly troubling for Western Europe is that the missiles are designed to evade anti-ballistic missile systems such as the Patriot. The missiles are capable attaining hypersonic speeds (Mach 6-7) and of performing evasive maneuvers (rated up to 20 to 30g's) at all stages of its flight to avoid ABMs. The missile is guided throughout its entire flight. In short, this thing can wreak havoc within its operational range.

The Kaliningrad Oblast is a finger-shaped Russian enclave located on the Baltic Sea and bordered by Lithuania to the northeast and Poland to the south. It is separated from the rest Russia and is only directly accessible by sea or air. There is a roadway which runs though Belarus and Lithuania to the enclave and the Russians have agreements  with those nations to use the highway.


Kaliningrad is shown in dark green on the map.

Kaliningrad is Russia's main trophy from World War II. The original name of the city and area was Königsberg. In the Middle Ages Königsberg was home to the Teutonic Knights, who raided into Russia. In later years, the area would be the heart of Prussia and would become synonymous with Prussian militarism. As part of Germany, it was the center of ferocious fighting during both World Wars. The Red Army seized the area at the end of World War II and it was ceded to the USSR at the Potsdam Conference. Native Germans in the area were forcibly expelled and the area was re-populated by Russias, Belorussians, and Ukrainians. The Soviets heavily militarized and industrialized the area. Additionally, they have also used the area as a dumping ground for waste. It is one of the most polluted areas in the world, a process which the Russian Federation has continued. Billions of tons of waste is dumped into the Baltic Sea annually from Kalinigrad, much to the chagrin of neighboring Baltic nations. That is how the Russians play.

Kaliningrad is the only Baltic Sea port in Russia which does not ice-over during winter. Hence, it has become home to the Russian Baltic Fleet.

The stationing of the Iskander missiles in the Oblast is a sensitive issue and is in direct response to NATO increasing ties with new member states in the Baltic Region: Poland, Lithunania, Estonia, and Latvia. NATO has set up a Patriot base in Poland at their request. From their bases in the Oblast, Iskander missiles have the range to strike all of these nations in addition to Gottland Island and Southern Sweden. Following Russia's recent history in Georgia and Ukraine, the Baltic nations see this threat as a prelude to offensive actions and as an existential crisis. What makes this situation different, however, is that these countries are now NATO states. The organization is pledged to defend them.