Russia on Thursday said it had no plans to boost the arsenal of its Baltic Fleet in response to Poland's announcement that the United States will deploy Patriot-type missiles close to Russian borders.
"No changes are planned in the combat components of the Baltic Fleet in connection with the deployment of US Patriot missiles close to the border with Russia," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies.
Earlier, the RIA Novosti news agency had quoted a high-ranking official in the Baltic Fleet as saying Russia would be boosting the weaponry of the fleet's ships, submarines and aircraft in response to the Polish announcement.
"The underwater, surface and air components of the fleet will be strengthened," the source told the news agency.
He said that ships would be equipped with highly accurate, longer-range missiles while the defences of submarines would also be boosted. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the reports.
The defence ministry statement said that any moves to rearm and modernize Russia's navy — including the Baltic Fleet — would take place within the framework of an already announced military reform drive.
Poland's Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said Wednesday the Patriot-type surface-to-air missiles would be deployed in northern Poland some 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
He insisted the choice of the site close to Kaliningrad had "no political or strategic meaning — its good infrastructure is the only reason." The Patriot missiles could arrive as soon as late March or early April, Klich said.
President Barack Obama in September scrapped a plan agreed in 2008 to install a controversial anti-missile shield system in Poland and the Czech Republic that had enraged Russia.
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