Russian sub launched Kalibr missile day after warning against Swedish NATO membership
The Northern Fleet’s newest multi-purpose submarine “Severodvinsk” fired Russia’s most advanced naval cruise missile from the Barents Sea Saturday morning.
Kreml’s propaganda agency Sputnik describes the Kalibr missile as a weapon that “has caused jitters in the West with its ability to sneak up to its target when fired” …and “Hugging the ground with pinpoint accuracy and almost invulnerable due to its supersonic speed, the missile is a deadly weapon to be reckoned with.”
It is Russia’s Ministry of Defence that Saturday reports about the launch that took place while “Severodvinsk” was in submerged position in outside the coast of the Kola Peninsula.
“Severodvinsk” has Zapadnaya Litsa as homeport, just some 55 kilometers from Russia’s border to Norway.
The Kalibr missile hit a training target with high accuracy on the Chizh testing ground on Cape Kanin north in Arkhangelsk region, the Defence Ministry says.
The naval version of the Kalibr cruise missile is supersonic, specifically designed to evade active air defenses and electronic countermeasures. Fired from the Caspian Sea last year, the missile travelled 1,500 kilometers and hit a target in Syria.
Saturday’s missile launch from the Barents Sea comes less than 24 hours after deputy head of the Federation Council’s Committee for Defence and Security, Evgeny Serebrennikov, threatened Sweden that Russia will deploy more missiles to its northern regions if Sweden enters NATO.
Interviewed last week by Dagens Nyheter, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also came with a direct warning against Swedish NATO membership.
He warned that Russia would implement new military measures in its northern territories.
“If Sweden decides to join NATO, we don’t think Swedes will attack us. However, considering Sweden’s military infrastructure in such scenario would then obey the commands of NATO, then of course we will be forced to take necessary military-technical measures in our northern territories,” Lavrov said.
The submarine launched cruise missile (SLCM) version of Kalibr has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has posted this video on YouTube of Saturday’s Kalibr missile launch from the Barents Sea.
