Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said a United States anti-missile base in Redzikowo, Poland “is a priority target for potential neutralization.”
The warning comes days after U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the use of long-range American missiles against Russian targets by Ukraine, the reported deployment of British Storm Shadow missiles by Kyiv against Russia, and the Kremlin’s own expansion of the conditions under which Moscow may use its nuclear weapons.
The developments — along with Moscow’s recent use of North Korean troops on the battlefield against Ukraine — have heightened global fears Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s war is escalating to a new phase.
“Given the level of threats posed by such Western military facilities, the missile defense base in Poland has long been included among the priority targets for potential neutralization. If necessary, this can be achieved using a wide range of advanced weaponry,” Zakharova claimed, according to an article by Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
Referring to the American installation, “this inevitably heightens strategic risks and, consequently, raises the overall level of nuclear danger,” she said.
The military base opened Nov. 13, after being originally commissioned by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2009. Part of an American anti-missile shield, it is the first permanent installation of the U.S. armed forces in Poland.
The Kremlin also interrupted a live press conference on potential peace negotiations to order Zakharova not to comment on Kyiv reporting that a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) struck Dnipro earlier that morning.
“Masha, don’t comment at all on the ballistic missile strike on Yuzhmash, as the Westerners started talking about it,” was heard through the receiver. Yuzhmash may be in reference to a factory in Dnipro.
If confirmed, the attack would be Moscow’s first use of an ICBM against Ukraine.