Russian Senator Franz Klincevich on Current NATO Drills: No Threat to Russia, But Our Troops Are Ready

Speaking on a talk show on Russia's Channel 1 on June 8, Russian senator Franz Klincevich, commenting on current NATO drills in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, said that although they do not pose a real threat to Russia, given the historical perspective of World War II, his country's troops were ready. Klincevich, who is First Deputy Chair of the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council (the upper house of the parliament), said: "We have all the necessary orders in place, the troops are ready, and our reaction will be thunder-fast."

Franz Kincevich: The Russians do not want war. But Michael, even if a Russian is wounded, and he has (nothing but) a baton, and they want to corner him and bring him to his knees, he will not submit unless you break his knees or kill him. You (Americans) just don't take this into consideration.

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You have devised the plans, and explained to the entire world that only the US is capable - because of its military technical abilities - of launching a prompt global strike. As you (Americans) said, 3,500 or 4,000 high-precision warheads would hit the most important Russian targets, neutralizing our nuclear and missile potential, and demoralizing Russia. Whatever... You said what you said. You wrote what you wrote...

American Journalist Michael Bohm: That's impossible. That's a fantasy.

Franz Kincevich: Right, it's a fantasy of your military.

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You are creating an entire infrastructure around us - in Romania, Poland... When they say that NATO's military personnel in the Baltic states and elsewhere is 19 times larger than it used to be, I, as a military man, become concerned. Maybe it's not a lot in total, but when you've got 500 men in an airbase, and they built an infrastructure in order to receive some component in future, I get concerned. After all, Michael, in 1941, we talked too much, and we lost half a country in one week. We had disarmed ourselves. We were unprepared - illery in one place, shells in another... The aircrafts were not ready. (The Nazis) bombed us and continued to advance. Never again.

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We understand full well that the (NATO) drills will never ignite a real confrontation. Nobody is actually going to attack us - there is no real threat to Russia - but nevertheless, taking all this into account, we have all the necessary orders in place, the troops are ready, and our reaction will be thunder-fast.

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