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Russia has turned on a new
incoming missile early warning
system in its westernmost
region in response to US plans
for a missile shield in
Europe.President Dmitry
Medvedev ordered the system
to be activated on a visit to the
radar unit in Kaliningrad, a Baltic
region bordering EU
countries.The unit is equipped
with the new Voronezh-DM
radar system.Medvedev has
warned Russian missiles could
be deployed on the EU's borders
if the shield is
installed.Washington wants an
anti-missile shield ready by
2020, arguing that it is
necessary to provide protection
from the potential missile threat
posed by countries like
Iran.Under President George W
Bush, the US had initially
intended to locate major parts
of the shield in Poland and the
Czech Republic, but Russia
objected vigorously.When
Barack Obama took office in the
White House, he scaled back the
original ambitions."Nato's missile
defence system [is] designed to
defend against threats from
outside Europe - not designed to
alter balance of deterrence,"
Nato chief Anders Fogh
Rasmussen said in a recent
tweet.In a statement carried by
Russian news agencies, Mr
Medvedev said: "I expect that
this step will be seen by our
partners as the first signal of
the readiness of our country to
make an adequate response to
the threats which the missile
shield poses for our strategic
nuclear forces."Quoted by
Interfax, he said: "If our signal is
ignored... we will deploy other
means of defence including the
adoption of tough counter-
measures and the deployment
of a strike group."Medvedev has
spoken of deploying Iskander
missiles - modern versions of
the mobile Scud surface-to-
surface missile - in
Kaliningrad.On Tuesday, he said
Russia was ready to listen to
new anti-missile defence
proposals from "Western
partners" but assurances were
not enough."Verbal statements,
unfortunately, do not guarantee
the defence of our interests,"
the Russian president said."If
other steps are taken then,
naturally, we are ready to listen
to them but, in any case, verbal
statements are not enough."The
radar system activated on
Medvedev's orders was installed
this year at Pionerskoye,
Kaliningrad, and is meant to
replace older systems in Ukraine
and Belarus, according to
Russian news website
lenta.ru.With an operating range
of 6,000km (3,730 miles), the
Voronezh DM can cover "all of
Europe and the Atlantic",
according to the Russian
military.It is designed to detect
space and aerodynamic targets,
including ballistic and cruise
missiles.Iran's nuclear
programme and its development
of long-range missiles have
alarmed Western states, despite
Tehran's assurances it is not
seeking weapons of mass
destruction.