Protection from Russia

US missile base opened in Poland

High-ranking military officials from the USA and Poland at the opening ceremony in Redzikowo(Bild: APA/AFP/MATEUSZ SLODKOWSKI)

NATO is strengthening its eastern flank against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. A US missile base was opened in northern Poland on Wednesday. At the ceremony, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz spoke of an event of "historic significance for the security of Poland, the United States and NATO". 

"A US destroyer on Polish soil has become a fact. Based on the current conflicts, for example in Ukraine or the Middle East, we can see how important air defense and missile defense are," emphasized Kosiniak-Kamysz. 

According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the base in Redzikowo, around 230 kilometers from the Russian border (exclave of Kaliningrad) (see map below), "significantly strengthens our ability to defend ourselves against the growing threat of ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area". Speaking to journalists in Warsaw, Rutte described the opening of the base as an "important step". 

The newly opened base has been in operation since July and is part of a larger NATO defense shield, which also includes a radar system that could intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The project, which was first announced in 2009, had been repeatedly delayed. Russia now poses the greatest security risk to NATO's eastern flank. 

Kremlin speaks of "US advance towards our borders"
Although, according to the military alliance, the Redzikowo base is only for defense purposes, Russia regularly speaks of a threat. The opening of the base represents "an advance of the US military infrastructure in Europe towards our borders", said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday.