Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Is Russia’s evil war about to heat up?
» Kremlin shifts 100 » Fears Moscow may air-defence missiles launch a dirty bomb
MOSCOW’S commanders have moved 100 air-defence missiles from Belarus to Russia, sparking fears of an escalation in Ukraine, including a dirty nuke.
Air-freighting scores of S-300 and S-400s is either a precaution against a retaliation from Ukraine for Russia’s recent blitz or a sign of a much bigger atrocity yet to come.
One Russia expert told the Mirror: “Whatever Russia has in mind, it appears to be expecting retaliation on its own soil from Ukraine or the West.
“Analysts feel with these missile moves done so rapidly, just prior to this week’s massive bombardments, the two are interconnected.
“But more ominously they may indicate that worse may be yet to come and they are preparing for a big reaction to this activity. There has been talk of a dirty bomb.”
Defence sites within Russia were bolstered with the missiles at airfields at Millerovo, covering Luhansk in Ukraine, and Rostov-ondon, covering Donestsk.
But coverage was also strengthened in Seshcha airfield on the border with Belarus and at Chkalovsky, near Moscow.
Russian artillery commanders have also secretly called up eight nuclear-capable 2S7M firing platforms to the front line. The huge guns – dubbed the “one shot” – can bring down a building with one hit.
Moscow’s commanders moved the self-propelled and tracked artillery pieces by rail to locations within contested Luhansk, east of Ukrainian-held ground.
A source told the Mirror: “It is of huge concern these guns are being brought to the front. It is possibly in preparation for something big.”
In the wake of its humiliating retreat from the southern city of Kherson, Moscow has intensified its assault on Donetsk in the east.
c.hughes@mirror.co.uk