NATO’s missile site launched in Romania

NATO’s European missile system goes online in Romania.

The missile system began working this Thursday, a day before Poland broke ground on an additional NATO base in the country, which is anticipated to hold significant missile assets.

NATO plannes to hold large military drills in Poland and the Baltics later this year with a significant participation of US forces.

The US and its allies have repeatedly claimed that the increasing military presence of NATO in Eastern Europe has nothing to do with Russia. A former US official, however, has described the military buildup as a warning to  Russia.

This Thursday, Russian official spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted to the European military build-up, saying Russia cannot ignore actions that threaten it and will defend its interests.

Also Russia states it will engage in retaliatory measures if NATO continues its plans to deploy four extra battalions in Poland and the Baltic states.

Tensions surged earlier this month after the US guided-missile destroyer USS Cook sailed close to a Russian naval base in the Baltic Sea, an action which resulted in the scrambling of Russian jets that buzzed the ship.

“This would be a very dangerous build-up of armed forces pretty close to our borders,” stated senior Russian Foreign Ministry official Andrei Kelin on Wednesday

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Tuesday that the alliance would deploy "battalion-sized" multinational units throughout eastern member states.

The proposal was initially made by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter this Monday among rising tension between the US and Russia in the Baltic region.