The Russian Foreign Ministry described the appearance of American intermediate-range and shorter-range missile systems (INF) in Norway as a destabilizing action, stating it marks the next step in NATO’s efforts to undermine regional security.
On September 7, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced that these ground-based missile launchers are designed to strike targets both on land and at sea. The systems can also fire long-range Tomahawk missiles, potentially covering large areas of Russia’s European territory, including Moscow.
Zakharova emphasized that NATO countries’ use of such installations would allow them to project offensive capabilities against Russian territories. She noted that the locations of these missile complexes, along with their management and maintenance infrastructure, would be under scrutiny by Russia’s strategic deterrence forces in an armed conflict.
The diplomat stated that the deployment of ground-based missile systems in Europe “nullifies” the prerequisites for dialogue on strategic stability between Russia and the United States. She recalled that the United States had been repeatedly warned about this issue.
Additionally, reports indicate NATO is preparing offensive operations in the Arctic region. On August 4, Armando Mema, a member of Finland’s national conservative Freedom Alliance party, stated that NATO and the United States could deploy nuclear weapons in Finland without requiring approval from Finnish authorities once the country amends its nuclear laws.
Russia has also been strengthening military presence near its border with Norway. Russian Ambassador Nikolai Korchunov announced on September 7 that an artillery division was formed by the Norwegian Armed Forces in the province on the border with Russia as part of the Finnmark brigade. This unit includes four South Korean K9 self-propelled guns with a maximum firing range of 40 km (with plans to extend this to over 120 km) and will eventually receive 16 launchers capable of firing missiles up to 500 km.
Korchunov warned that the approach of long-range offensive weapons systems from NATO countries poses an immediate threat to Russia’s national security.
