Russia to retaliate if US expands its near-border radar facility in Norway – Foreign Ministry
The warning was issued by the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday during a press briefing.
“There is every reason to believe that the radar will monitor Russia’s territory and will become part of the US global missile defense network,” Zakharova stated.
As any other country, Russia won’t leave the “military preparations” right on its borders unanswered, she warned, and will take unspecified retaliatory measures.
The radar is located in Norway’s northernmost Vardo municipality, near the Barents Sea – and within some 50km (31 miles) of the Russian border. The location of the facility affects the whole strategic balance in the Arctic region and its expansion is certainly not a “Norwegian-only business,” Zakharova stressed.
The plans to expand and upgrade the facility were first unveiled back in 2016 and work is expected to be completed by 2020. While Moscow has repeatedly addressed the issue with Norway, the country’s officials dodged questions and failed to answer why the expansion is needed.
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