MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. Russia has cautioned that any attempt by the US to deploy rocket systems at Denmark’s Bornholm Island with the possibility of striking targets in the Kaliningrad Region will lead to the unacceptable escalation of a conflict between the two countries, Konstantin Gavrilov, who leads the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, said on Wednesday.

The diplomat reiterated that on May 24, within the framework of the Defender Europe 2022 military drills, the deployment was practiced of the US М142 HIMARS artillery system with the range of 500 kilometers and the potential goal to strike targets in the Kaliningrad Region. "We resolutely warn the US and its satellites that any such step will be considered as a military attack on our country and will inevitably lead to an unacceptable escalation of the conflict," he said at the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation.

At the forum, the Russian envoy also touched on the situation in Ukraine. He noted that Russia has a highly negative assessment of the US’ 11th military aid package to Ukraine which includes HIMARS rocket systems, noting that these deliveries increase the risks of a direct confrontation between Russia and the US.

According to him, Ukrainian authorities and their "Anglo-Saxon curators" also plan to overtake Snake (Zmeiny) Island. "It is not excluded that American long-range weapons may be used within the framework of the new operation," the Russian diplomat stressed. "Any attempts to get even on Snake [Island] will be harshly intercepted," he added.