Russia has deployed Iskander missile systems in Kaliningrad, raising tensions with NATO. These missiles, capable of reaching Sweden, are part of the Zapad 25 military exercise. Despite the potential threat, experts advise against overreacting to Russia's strategic signaling.
New Russian Missiles in Kaliningrad: A Potential Threat to Sweden
New Russian Missiles in Kaliningrad: A Potential Threat to Sweden
Russia continues to flex its military muscles against Europe. On Saturday, a video surfaced on social media showing two Iskander missile systems deployed on a road in Kaliningrad. These missiles have a range of 500 kilometers, enough to reach Sweden, reports Defense Express.
"The answer is probably that we shouldn't be as stressed as the Russians want," says Joakim Paasikivi, a former lieutenant colonel.
Over the past week, the already tense situation between Russia and NATO has escalated further. On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, 19 Russian drones were shot down after violating Polish airspace. Another incident occurred on Saturday when a Russian drone flew into Romanian territory.
Meanwhile, Defense Express, a Ukrainian news site covering defense and security issues, reports that images and videos appeared on social media on Saturday showing two Russian Iskander missile systems deployed in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad by the Baltic Sea—about 300 kilometers from Sweden's southern coast.
Each launch unit was armed with a ballistic missile of the 9M723 type, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads and has a range of 500 kilometers, according to the news site.
Potential to Reach Sweden
The images have been geolocated by Cyberboroshno, a group of independent military analysts, who specifically pinpoint the location to highway E28, north of the town of Kudrjavtsevo. Given the missiles' range, they have the potential to reach almost all of the Baltics and Poland, as well as smaller parts of Sweden, Danish Bornholm, and Germany.
According to Defense Express, the systems have likely been deployed as part of Zapad 25. This is Russia and Belarus's joint military exercise that began on Friday and continues until Tuesday.
Paasikivi: Not Surprised
Joakim Paasikivi, a former lieutenant colonel and now a senior geopolitical advisor at the law firm Mannheimer Swartling, has reviewed the images of the missile systems.
"The only surprising thing about them is that people are surprised," he says.
He describes the situation as part of all Russian exercise activities and signaling directed at NATO.
"They consider us the threat, so doing this is entirely consistent. It's also consistent that they want it to be visible. It would have been almost more worrying if they had tried to hide it."
Moreover, Russia had already announced in advance that a nuclear component would be included in the Zapad exercise, says Paasikivi, adding that the missiles are not equipped with live warheads as it is just an exercise.
"The question is how stressed we should be. The answer is probably that we shouldn't be as stressed as the Russians want."