Russian Missile Threat

By William D. Zeranski

Little movement has been made by Russia to take troops out as Georgia reports that "there was scant evidence the Russians were making good on the promise they made -- when they signed a ceasefire -- to start quitting the country they invaded 12 days ago." Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn states that he has grave concerns about the threat they face from the Georgian army, though the Georgian forces were routed by a well-planned, lighting advance of the Russian military.

With a seemingly conscious effort to slowly withdraw troops from Georgia, Russia has moved with great speed to solidity its presence in the breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia has moved short-range SS-21 missile launchers into South Ossetia since fighting there came to a halt, possibly putting the Georgian capital Tbilisi in range, US officials said today.

The development came amid signs that Russia was adding ground troops and equipment to its force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia . . .

The movement of short-range SS-21 missile launchers into South Ossetia could be seen as part of a broad and preplanned effort to keep pressure Georgia long after Russian troops have left:

The SS-21 missile launcher is a battlefield medium-range tactical ballistic missile with a range from 70 to 120 kilometres.

There are around 100 kilometres between Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, and Tbilisi, which would mean the Georgian capital is in within reach of the SS-21s.

The SS-21, which has a reputation for precision, can carry conventional, biological and chemical weapons, but also nuclear warheads like fragmentation bombs.

The placement of THAAD anti-ballistic missile (ABM) launchers in Poland and Ukraine's offer of a satellite facility to compliment the European missile defense system may have been fortuitous, to say the least, as the US and Eastern Europe make preparations to offset Russia military designs.