Russia likely stockpiled missiles to fight NATO
Kremlin, Moscow (Photo:Michael Parulava / Unsplash)
Western militaries believe Russia has kept a reserve of missiles and other weapons systems to fight NATO, The New York Times reported on Nov. 18, quoting former White House weapons strategist Mark. F. Cancian.
This stockpile of cruise and ballistic missiles was likely used to deliver massive air strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent months.
“They apparently have a withhold for a notional NATO attack, which we would regard as absurd, but they regard it as a real possibility,” Cancian said.
“So they’re holding back some part of their inventory for that.”
The report further suggests that Russia has built up a stockpile of microchips and other technological components for domestic missile production before invading Ukraine on Feb. 24. In October, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced a set of measures to ramp up output of missiles for use in the war against Ukraine.
On Sept. 30, Ukraine formally applied to join NATO, reportedly following consultations with Kyiv’s Western partners. While nine NATO members have since supported Ukrainian membership, the White House said “the issue should be taken up another time.”
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