Russia accused of bringing ballistic missiles close to NATO

Estonia says Russia is moving nuclear-capable Iskander-M missiles close to NATO's eastern flank.

Iskander-M missile system. Photo: Sputnik.

The Iskander-M missiles, with a range of more than 500km, were being transported by ship from St Petersburg to Kaliningrad. Estonian officials said they were tracking the ship, named Ambal, and its cargo. Ambal is expected to arrive on 7 October, the Guardian reported.

Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave located between Lithuania and Poland, two NATO members. A US intelligence official confirmed the information from Estonia yesterday. This person said that Russia's transfer of Iskander-M to Kaliningrad "may be harmless".

"They moved a similar missile system to Kaliningrad in 2014 for exercises. It could also be a political move, a show of force, to express dissatisfaction with NATO," Reuters quoted the official as saying.

An Estonian defense expert said the Iskander-M is a sophisticated weapon and that there is no Western arsenal that can compare to it.

"Iskander-M is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, changing direction in flight and has a range of up to 500 km. It threatens Poland, including US military facilities in the country," the expert said.

Russia is believed to intend to deploy Iskander-M to Kaliningrad, but not in 2018-1019. Russia currently has a missile brigade in Kaliningrad, however, the OTR-21 Tochka missile has a short range and cannot carry a nuclear warhead.

Iskander-M is a ballistic missile system designed to destroy strategic targets. The deployment of Iskander-M is said to violate treaties on intermediate-range nuclear forces.

Location of Kaliningrad region. Graphics: BBC.

According to VNE