Kiev explores hosting missile defense components to guard against Russian attack

Oleksandr Turchynov, the head of Ukraine's National Security Council, says Kiev might soon begin negotiations to station components of a missile defense system in Ukraine. According to Turchynov, “a significant increase in joint systems of defense from nuclear attacks and the expansion of additional positions for missile defense systems” are necessary to counter Russian aggression.

Turchynov says Moscow is preparing to deploy in Crimea a regiment of long-range Tu-22 bombers and three batteries of tactical Iskander missile systems. Russia is also finishing construction of a new submarine naval station, Turchynov says. “Russia is actively working to deploy nuclear weapons and delivery vehicles for nuclear warheads,” he explains.

Turchynov called on the West to expand its sanctions against Moscow, suggesting the closure of the Bosphorus Strait to Russian warships and cutting Russia out of the SWIFT international banking payment system.

• In March, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow reserves the right to deploy nuclear weapons to any of its regions, including Crimea.
• In February, Vladimir Putin’s regional representative in Crimea, Oleg Belaventsev, claimed Russia has transformed the peninsula into an impregnable fortress, saying unprecedented measures have been taken to bolster Crimea’s defenses.
• In late 2014, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Crimea has formed a self-contained military force composed of seven formations and eight units. There are S-300 surface-to-air missile systems deployed in Crimea, as well as fighter jets, assault and army aircraft, and transport planes.
• For several decades, the United States has developed a wide-reaching missile defense shield for itself and its allies. Washington insists that the system today is directed not at Russia but so-called rogue states like Iran and North Korea. Moscow has said that it considers the program (especially its Eastern European components) to be a direct threat to Russian national security.