Russia is strengthening its Baltic Fleet to counter NATO.

(Baonghean.vn) - The Russian daily Izvestia reported on October 26 that Moscow is reinforcing its Baltic Fleet in Kaliningrad with two small warships equipped with long-range cruise missiles to counter the worrying increase in the presence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the region. However, this information has not been officially confirmed by Russia.

A Russian naval escort ship, along with the destroyers Nastoichivy and Admiral Gorshkov, is anchored in the bay of the Russian fleet base in the Kaliningrad region, Russia, on July 19, 2015. Photo: Reuters.

The report, citing an anonymous military source, said that the two warships Serpukhov and Zeleny Dol had entered the Baltic Sea and would soon join a newly formed division there.
The information has not been officially confirmed by Moscow, but it would add to tensions in the Baltic, a region already strained since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. According to the report, Russia's Baltic Fleet will also receive three more small warships equipped with similar long-range cruise missiles before the end of 2020.

This information comes amid NATO's plans to increase its largest presence in the region bordering Russia since the Cold War, in order to counter Moscow.

This information is likely to cause considerable concern in Poland and Lithuania, as these two countries share land borders with Kaliningrad. Earlier this month, Russia also deployed Iskander-M missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, to Kaliningrad, close to Europe, a move that angered Lithuania and Poland.

The Swedish Ministry of Defence also expressed concern about Russia's latest move in the Baltic Sea, stating that it would increase tensions.

Lan Ha

(According to Reuters)