MOSCOW, September 4. /TASS/. NATO’s eastward expansion has brought military infrastructure closer to the Russian borders and secured undisputable strategic advantages for the Alliance, the analytical report "Russia-NATO: Facts and Myths" prepared by Russia’s Permanent Mission at the Alliance said on Friday.
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"In case of a military conflict, vital facilities on the territory of Russia’s European part will be under threat of NATO air attacks," the document said. "The so-called approach time has reduced by half. Activities launched in 2008 on adhering military facilities of the Baltic States, Romania, Poland and Bulgaria to NATO standards makes it easier to solve such problems," the report added.
The document draws attention to the fact that the United States plans to considerably strengthen the military potential of its Eastern European allies in the framework of bilateral cooperation by supplying them modern equipment, in particular, JASSM air-launched cruise missiles. "This will allow NATO countries’ tactical aviation to strike targets deep into the Russian territory without entering the area covered by our missile defense system," Russian experts explained.
Since the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, NATO continued to consistently increase its military presence near the Russian borders under the pretext of countering "Russia’s expansion", the document said. "NATO’s current actions on strengthening the ‘Eastern flank’ fan tensions and weaken military security in the recently calmest European region in military terms," Russia’s Mission at the Alliance said. "Risks of dangerous accidents are also increasing with growing military activity," the document added.
Changing emphasis in the issue of US missile defense system in Europe after reaching a deal with Iran and linking the system with Tehran’s missile programs reveal its true aim, the report continued.
"It is very indicative that the agreements on Iranian nuclear program reached in 2013 in Geneva and this year in Lausanne have not affected US plans on the European segment of its global missile defense system, though in 2009 US President Barack Obama said in a speech in Prague that there will be no need for missile defense system in Europe if the ‘Iranian threat’ is eliminated," the document said.
Washington and Brussels "just shifted emphasis saying that the agreement on Iranian nuclear program is not final, and they note Iranian missile programs which allegedly present a threat for Europe and also arms proliferation in general," the analytical report continued. "Such ‘adaptability’ of arguments raises additional concerns about the real aim of the missile defense system created by the US - both its European segment and global [structure]," Russia’s Permanent Mission at NATO noted.