WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Russia's deployment of its S-400 air missile defense system and ballistic Iskander missile in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad "is destabilizing to European security," the U.S. State Department said on Monday in response to reports citing the head of the defense committee in Russia's upper house of parliament.

"Russia has made threats to move its Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad for the past decade in response to a variety of developments in Europe, none of which demand such a military response," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"We call on Russia to refrain from words or deeds that are inconsistent with the goal of promoting security and stability," he added. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)</s>BRUSSELS — NATO is criticizing Russia's deployment of anti-ship missiles in its westernmost Baltic region as "aggressive military posturing," and is urging dialogue to cool escalating tensions.

NATO said in a statement Tuesday that the missile deployment near the alliance's borders "does not help to lower tensions or restore predictability to our relations." NATO called for more transparency on military activities "to avoid incidents and the risk of misunderstandings."

Moscow has vigorously objected to the deployment of NATO's military units near Russia's borders, and is now reportedly installing Bastian missile-launchers in the Kaliningrad exclave, which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania.

President Vladimir Putin said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies Monday night that Moscow would target NATO sites if it thinks they threaten Russia.</s>MOSCOW -- The Kremlin on Tuesday brushed off Western criticism of the deployment of state-of-the-art missiles in Russia's Baltic Sea region, describing it as an equivalent response to NATO's military buildup near its borders.

The Russian military has reportedly stationed anti-ship missiles in the nation's westernmost Kaliningrad province, and a senior lawmaker also has announced the deployment of other missile systems.

The U.S. State Department and NATO have voiced concern, describing the Russian move as destabilizing.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the Russian military needs to respond to what he described as NATO's aggressive moves.

"Russia is doing what is necessary to protect itself amid NATO's expansion toward its borders," Peskov said. "The alliance is a truly aggressive bloc, so Russia does what it has to do. It has every sovereign right to take necessary measures throughout the territory of the Russian Federation."

The Interfax news agency reported Monday that the Russian military has put Bastion missile launchers on duty in the Kaliningrad exclave, which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The Russian Defense Ministry said over the weekend that the Baltic Fleet was rearming itself with new missile launchers, but didn't provide specifics.

Separately, Viktor Ozerov, the head of the defense affairs committee in the Russian parliament's upper house, told RIA Novosti news agency Monday that Russia also would deploy Iskander tactical ballistic missiles and S-400 air defense missile systems to Kaliningrad in response to U.S. missile defense plans.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby warned Monday that the deployment of Iskander and S-400 missiles to Kaliningrad is "destabilizing to European security" and urged Russia to "refrain from words or deeds that are inconsistent with the goal of promoting security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region."

The Kremlin long has warned that the development of NATO's U.S.-led missile defense system poses a danger to Russia's security and vowed to take countermeasures.

In an interview with U.S. filmmaker Oliver Stone included in a documentary about the Ukrainian crisis broadcast in Russia late Monday, Putin warned that Russia would target NATO sites if it thinks they threaten Russia.

"We have to take countermeasures, targeting the facilities that we perceive as a threat with our missile systems," Putin said.</s>MOSCOW — The Kremlin on Tuesday brushed off Western criticism of the deployment of state-of-the art missiles in Russia's Baltic Sea region, describing it as an equivalent response to NATO's military buildup near its borders.

The Russian military has reportedly stationed anti-shipping missiles in the nation's westernmost Kaliningrad exclave, and a senior lawmaker also has announced the deployment of other missile systems.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the Russian military needs to response to what he described as NATO's aggressive moves.

"Russia is doing what is necessary to protect itself amid NATO's expansion toward its borders," Peskov said. "The alliance is a truly aggressive bloc, so Russia does what it has to do. It has every sovereign right to take necessary measures throughout the territory of the Russian Federation."

The Interfax news agency reported Monday that the Russian military has put Bastion missile-launchers on duty in the Kaliningrad region, which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The Russian Ministry said over the weekend that the Baltic Fleet was rearming itself with new missile-launchers, but didn't provide specifics. It had no immediate comment on the Interfax report.

Separately, Viktor Ozerov, the head of the affairs committee in the Russian parliament's upper house, told RIA Novosti news agency Monday that Russia would also deploy Iskander tactical ballistic missiles and S-400 air missile systems to Kaliningrad in response to the U.S. missile plans.

U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby warned Monday that the deployment of Iskander and S-400 missiles to Kaliningrad is "destabilizing to European security" and urged Moscow to "refrain from words or deeds that are inconsistent with the goal of promoting security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region."

NATO said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday that the missile deployment near the alliance's borders "does not help to lower tensions or restore predictability to our relations." NATO called for more transparency on military activities "to avoid incidents and the risk of misunderstandings."

"Russia isn't a source of security threat now. It's the buildup of weapons and servicemen from outside Europe," he said pointing at U.S. missile sites in Europe and the planned buildup of U.S. troops in Poland and the Baltics.

The Kremlin long has warned that the development of NATO's U.S.-led missile system poses a danger to Russia's security and vowed to take countermeasures. Moscow also has complained strongly against the deployment of NATO's military units near Russia's borders.

In an interview with American filmmaker Oliver Stone included in a documentary about the Ukrainian crisis broadcast in Russia late Monday, Putin warned that Russia would target NATO sites if it thinks they threaten Russia.</s>MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to take "countermeasures" in response to NATO expansion, a report said Monday, pointing to possible critical tests for the Western alliance and President-elect Donald Trump's calls for outreach to Moscow.

No details were given on possible Russian action, but Russia announced Monday it has bolstered its defensive missile strength in the Eastern European enclave of Kaliningrad.

The Kremlin has voiced concerns about the membership in NATO of former Soviet republics and countries from the former East Bloc.

NATO, meanwhile, has moved to strengthen its presence along its eastern flanks, including the Baltic states. But a major wild card has been introduced by the election victory of Trump, who has suggested that his administration will seek to improve relations with Russia.

"Why are we reacting to NATO expansion so emotionally? We are concerned by NATO's decision-making," Putin was quoted as saying in an interview to be broadcast on Russian TV later on Monday. The advance text was carried by the state-run RIA news agency.

Hours before the broadcast, Russia said it had deployed mobile coastal defense missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave wedged between Lithuania and Poland. In October, Putin stationed nuclear-capable cruise missiles in Kaliningrad, further arming a region already bristling with weaponry on both sides.

Putin has expressed optimism that the election of Trump, who has questioned the U.S. commitment to NATO allies, might improve relations with the United States, currently at a post-Cold War low. On Sunday, Putin told reporters in Lima, Peru, that "the U.S. president-elect confirmed his intention to normalize U.S.-Russia relations."

Putin also met for what was probably the last time with President Barack Obama, whose relationship with the Russian leader soured over Moscow's annexation of Crimea, its proxy war in Ukraine, and its aerial and missile bombardment in Syria of forces opposed to President Bashar Assad.

"I said both of us always treated each other's positions with respect, although the dialogue between our two countries was rather complicated and sometimes it was difficult to work with each other," Putin told reporters at an economic summit in Lima. "I thanked him for the years of joint work and said we would be glad to see him in Russia anytime if he found it possible or necessary or had a wish to go there."</s>In response to the U.S.-NATO installation of an air defense shield in May, Russia will install new systems in Kaliningrad near Poland.

Russia intends to increase its air and missile defense in the Baltic Region, where strikes could reach major European cities, in response to the U.S. and NATO’s new missile defense system deployed earlier this year, a top Russian lawmaker said Monday.

"To counter these threats, we will be forced to strengthen our air and missile defenses in the western vector and to deploy additional means to defend the relevant command-and-control infrastructure," Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, told RIA News agency in an interview, according to Reuters.

Ozerov, who heads the top defense committee in the upper house of Russia’s parliament, said the military will roll out its S-400 air missile defense system and ballistic Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave to strengthen its western borders.

Kaliningrad, which was annexed by the then-Soviet Union from Germany following World War II, sits between Lithuania and Poland in the southeast of the Baltic Sea, a key military stronghold that would allow the missiles to reach major European cities.

With a 300-mile range, the S-400 is capable of hitting targets from both short and long distances, putting cities like Berlin, as well as Poland and Sweden in danger if fired.

Though Russia and the US have seen diplomatic relations erode over the last year for various reasons – the Syrian civil war and alleged meddling by Russia in this month’s U.S. presidential election – the fresh deployment of air and missile defense systems is technically a delayed response considering the U.S. and NATO launched the Aegis ashore system in May.

That system was announced almost a decade ago, and the U.S. has said it's strictly been installed to protect itself and allies from countries like Iran, not Russia. Developed by contractor Lockheed Martin, the Aegis system, under NATO’s command and capable of simultaneously hitting targets on land, at sea and other ships, is located in Deveselu, Romania. Construction began on another facility in Poland a day after the Romanian installation was announced.
• Russian Aircraft Carrier To Get An Upgrade</s>MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military has deployed state-of-the art anti-shipping missiles in the nation's westernmost Baltic region, the Interfax news agency reported Monday, a move that comes amid spiraling tensions in Russia-West ties.

Interfax said Monday that the military has put Bastion missile-launchers on duty in the Kaliningrad exclave that borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The Russian Defense Ministry said over the weekend that the Baltic Fleet was rearming itself with new missile-launchers, but didn't provide specifics.

The ministry had no immediate comment on the Interfax report.

The Bastion fires supersonic Oniks cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 450 kilometers (280 miles) and can be used against ships as well as ground targets. Last week, it made its combat debut in Syria where the Russian military used it against militants.

Separately, Viktor Ozerov, the head of the defense affairs committee in the Russian parliament's upper house, told RIA Novosti news agency Monday that Russia would also deploy Iskander tactical ballistic missiles and S-400 air defense missile systems to Kaliningrad in response to the U.S. missile defense plans.

"We are facing two main tasks — to penetrate air defenses and ensure protection from possible strikes," Ozerov said.

The S-400, which Russia has used to protect its air base in Syria, is a sophisticated system that can simultaneously track and strike multiple aerial targets at ranges of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles). Based in the Kaliningrad region, the S-400s will be capable of targeting NATO aircraft and missiles over most of the Baltic region.

Iskander has a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) and high precision, allowing it to target facilities in several NATO member nations neighboring Russia with pinpoint accuracy. It can be fitted with a conventional or a nuclear warhead.

Last month, the deployment of Iskander missiles to the Kaliningrad region worried Russia's neighbors. The Russian military said the move was part of regular training, but didn't specify whether the missiles were sent there temporarily or deployed on a permanent basis.

The Kremlin long has warned that the development of NATO's U.S.-led missile defense system poses a danger to Russia's security and vowed to take countermeasures. Moscow also has complained strongly against the deployment of NATO's military units near Russia's borders.

"To counter these threats, we will be forced to strengthen our air and missile defenses in the western vector and to deploy additional means to defend the relevant command-and-control infrastructure," Ozerov told RIA Novosti.</s>MOSCOW — The Interfax news agency says the military has deployed state-of-the art anti-shipping missiles in Russia's westernmost Baltic region, a move that comes amid tensions in Russia-West ties.

The agency reported Monday that the military has put the Bastion missile launchers on duty in the Kaliningrad exclave that borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The Bastion made its combat debut in Syria earlier this month.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that the Baltic Fleet was rearming itself with new missile launchers, but didn't provide specifics.

Separately, Viktor Ozerov, the head of the defense affairs committee in the Russian parliament's upper house, also told RIA Novosti news agency Monday that Russia would deploy Iskander missiles and S-400 air defense missiles to Kaliningrad in response to the U.S. missile defense plans.</s>Nato and the Kremlin have traded accusations over the Russian deployment of state-of-the-art missiles in its Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.

Nato on Tuesday accused Russia of “aggressive military posturing”, while Vladimir Putin shot back that Russia was merely responding to Nato aggression.

The rhetoric comes as Europe waits with trepidation to see how a Donald Trump presidency will affect the continent’s security arrangements. Trump said in an interview during his election campaign he would be willing to tell Nato allies, “Congratulations, you will be defending yourself” if he felt they were not contributing enough financially to the alliance.

The UK prime minister, Theresa May, is due to meet Nato’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg at Downing Street on Wednesday and is expected to say he must persuade European countries to meet the Nato commitment to spend 2% of national income on defence.

The European parliament on Tuesday voted 369 to 255 in favour of a plan to deepen defence coordination between member states, in part prompted by Trump’s words.

“Our union is not equipped to face overwhelming defence challenges,” said MEP Urmas Paet, a former foreign minister of Estonia who drafted the resolution. “Europe continues to rely heavily on Nato capabilities and on US solidarity.”

Trump also described Nato as obsolete during the campaign and suggested a military alliance with Russia over Syria could be possible, something which has been cautiously welcomed in Moscow and greeted with horror in many European capitals, particularly in the three Baltic nations, which share a border with Russia.

The Russian military has reportedly stationed Bastion anti-ship missiles in Kaliningrad, a piece of Russian territory between Poland and Lithuania, while a senator, Viktor Ozerov, said on Monday that Russia would deploy Iskander ballistic missiles and S-400 missile-defence systems in Kaliningrad.



Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Tuesday that moving the missiles to Kaliningrad was a logical response to a hostile west: “Russia is doing everything necessary to ensure its security in the face of expansion by Nato towards its borders. The alliance really is an aggressive bloc, therefore Russia must do everything it can, and in this case it has the sovereign right to take necessary measures across its whole territory.”

Peskov declined to answer whether the systems were already in place and whether they would be based in Kaliningrad permanently. Russia said last October that it was moving the Iskander missiles into the exclave for a training drill.



Russia has long expressed displeasure with the idea of a US missile defence system in Europe, and on Monday, Putin even raised the possibility that it could carry out preventive strikes against such infrastructure.

“When a country becomes a Nato member, it’s very difficult for it to resist pressure from such a big country leading Nato, the US. And then you can get whatever they want there: missile defence systems, or new bases, and, if required, new missile systems.

“What should we do? Well in this case we should take counter measures, to use our missile systems to hit those targets that have started to threaten us. The situation is worrying,” said Putin, during an interview in a documentary film about Ukraine directed by Oliver Stone and broadcast on Russian television on Monday.

Asked whether May and Stoltenberg would discuss Trump’s approach to Nato when they met on Wednesday, the prime minister’s deputy official spokesman said: “Part of the discussion will clearly centre on Nato funding and 2% pledge but it will be a wide-ranging conversation on Nato issues.”

“On the issue of 2%, clearly we have been driving this issue since we hosted the Nato summit in Wales a few years ago. We are clear in our view that other countries should do the same and we have seen some countries move towards it. We are clear we think that 2% commitment is important.”</s>Russia has successfully tested intercontinental ballistic missiles intended for its "nuclear trains" program.

Tests on missiles for the Barguzin "railway-based combat rocket system" were carried out at the Plesetsk cosmodrome two weeks ago, the state-owned Interfax news agency reports.

"They were fully successful," a military source told the agency, "paving the way for further flight tests."

The mobile weapons platform, made up of several train carriages designed to conceal the launchers of six Yars or Yars-M thermonuclear ICBMs and their command units, are expected to enter service between 2018 and 2020.

Lieutenant-General Sergai Karakayev, who commands Russia's strategic missile forces, said the Barguzin would be superior to the Soviet-era Molodets nuclear trains in accuracy and range.

He expects them to be in service until 2040.

The Soviet Union had 12 Molodets trains in total, each of which were equipped with three nuclear missiles. Known by the Nato designation Scalpel, they were disposed of between 2003 and 2005.

Russia's latest advancement in its nuclear weapons technology comes as a senior MP announced the deployment of nuclear-capable missiles to the Kaliningrad exclave.

Moscow will deploy S-400 surface-to-air missiles and nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to the exclave, which borders Poland and Lithuania.

The Kremlin has brushed off Western criticism of the deployment of state-of-the art missiles in the Baltic Sea region, describing it as an equivalent response to Nato's military build-up near its borders.

On Monday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby warned the deployment of Iskander and S-400 missiles to Kaliningrad is "destabilising to European security" and urged Moscow to "refrain from words or deeds that are inconsistent with the goal of promoting security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region".

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the Russian military needs to respond to what he described as Nato's aggressive moves.

"Russia is doing what is necessary to protect itself amid Nato's expansion toward its borders," Mr Peskov said.

"The alliance is a truly aggressive bloc, so Russia does what it has to do. It has every sovereign right to take necessary measures throughout the territory of the Russian Federation."

Moscow has also deployed new anti-ship missiles on Pacific islands controlled by Russia but also claimed by Japan.

Bal and Bastion missile systems have been stationed on the islands, called the southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan, the Boyevaya Vakhta (Combat Duty) newspaper of Russia's Pacific Fleet reports.

The disagreement over the islands, seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their wartime hostilities.
Russia deploys its S-400 missile system in Kaliningrad, an exclave between Poland and Lithuania, in response to "NATO expansion" near its borders. The United States criticizes the move as "destabilizing" to Europe. Russia announced the planned deployment over a decade ago.