What is Aegis Ashore, US missile base in Poland on Russia’s ‘priority target’ list? – Firstpost

Russia on Thursday said that a new US ballistic missile defence base in northern Poland has been added to its list of “priority targets for potential elimination.”

In a statement posted on X, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The so-called US missile defence base (not really) in Poland has been put on the list of priority targets for potential elimination. The nature and level of threats posed by these Western military facilities are well-known and taken into account.”

💬 #Zakharova: The so-called US missile defence base (not really) in Poland has been put on the list of priority targets for potential elimination.

The nature and level of threats posed by these Western military facilities are well-known & taken into account. pic.twitter.com/qzDqvTKXox

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) November 21, 2024

In response, Warsaw said “threats” from Moscow only strengthened the argument for Nato defences.

Here’s all we know about the base.

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What is the Aegis Ashore site in Poland?

• Aegis Ashore is the land-based US military installation that opened on November 13 in the Polish town of Redzikowo near the Baltic coast, about 250 kilometres away from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

• The site holds US ballistic missiles and is part of a larger Nato missile shield designed to intercept short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles.

• The shield also includes a second Aegis Ashore installation in Romania, an early-warning radar in the Turkish town of Kurecik, and US naval destroyers stationed in the Spanish port of Rota.

• There are over 10,000 US troops in
  Poland, which has been a steadfast ally of neighbouring Ukraine since
  Russia’s invasion in February 2022, according to News18.

• Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier said the base “significantly enhances our ability to defend against the growing threat of ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area.”

• Despite Nato’s insistence,
  Moscow has labelled it a threat ever since it was in the planning stages.

• Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said the new base “constitutes an advance of US military infrastructure in Europe towards our borders.”

• “This is another frankly provocative step in a series of deeply destabilising actions by the Americans and their allies in the North Atlantic Alliance in the strategic sphere,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “This leads to undermining strategic stability, increasing strategic risks, and, as a result, to an increase in the overall level of nuclear danger.”

• In response, Poland’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski said on Thursday that there were no nuclear missiles at the base, and it was “purely for defence.” He noted, “It is a base that serves the purpose of defence, not attack. Such threats will certainly serve as an argument to strengthen Poland’s and Nato’s air defences, and should also be considered by the United States.”

With inputs from agencies

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