Russia Threatens to Aim Missiles at NATO Shield

Russia is once again making noise about NATO's plans to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Dmitry Medvedev warned that Russia would deploy new missiles and aim them at the shield installations today, in a harshly-worded statement that the AP sees as an attempt to rally domestic support ahead of Russia's upcoming elections. Medvedev also threatened to back out of the New START arms control treaty with the US if the sides couldn't reach a deal.

"The United States and its NATO partners as of now aren't going to take our concerns about the European missile defense into account," Medvedev said. Russia has made such threats before, objecting to a missile system that it has long argued would be uncomfortably close to its border. NATO insists the shield is designed to protect against missiles from Iran, but has refused Russian offers to jointly run the system. (More missile defense system stories.)