US military facility in Polish Redzikowo could become a target for Moscow in case of war with NATO
Photo: Alik Keplicz / AP
A secret US military facility located in the village of Redzikowo in Poland could become a potential target for Russia in the event of a military conflict with NATO. The New York Times called him that.
As the newspaper notes, the military facility is scheduled to be put into operation in 2022. The American Aegis Ashore missile defense systems will be deployed there, which, according to the Pentagon, will perform exclusively defensive functions and help protect European countries and the United States from ballistic missiles fired from Iran.
However, the Kremlin sees this base as an even more serious threat than the NATO military facilities that started operating in Romania in 2019, the newspaper writes. Thus, Moscow does not believe that the missile defense systems in Poland are really directed against a possible attack from Iran, and believe that the real purpose of their deployment is an attempt to contain Russia. Of particular concern to the Kremlin is the fact that the Redzikovo base is only about 160 kilometers from Russia's borders. Thus, after its introduction, the United States and its allies in the North Atlantic Alliance will be able to detect and intercept all ballistic missiles that can be fired from Russian territory.
In addition, Moscow assumes that MK 41 launchers located at a military facility can be easily converted to launch not only interceptor missiles, but also offensive weapons, in particular, Tomahawk cruise missiles. At the same time, only NATO military personnel have access to the base, while journalists and even local authorities cannot visit it.
So, the head of Redzikovo, Beata Juris, told The New York Times that she had never been to a facility under construction and had no information about what kind of weapons were located there. At the same time, she noted that in the event of a conflict between Moscow and Washington, this particular Polish village would become one of the first targets for Russia to strike. “If something happens, we, unfortunately, will be the first to know about it,” Juris said.
According to the publication, although few among politicians and experts believe that Moscow can really strike at Redzikovo, the current situation is alarming for local residents.
In June last year, it was reported that the United States had already begun installing Aegis Ashore missile defense systems at the base in Redzikovo. The readiness of the facility was estimated at 95 percent. Washington believes that with the help of systems it will be possible to ensure the security of Western Europe. At the same time, Moscow has repeatedly expressed concerns about the installation of American weapons near its borders.
