Ryabkov: THAAD Deployment in South Korea, Japan May Force Russia to Respond

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday that Russia may be forced to take military measures to counterbalance the deployment of the US THAAD missile defense systems to South Korea and Japan.

"What is going on directly near our borders in terms of boosting the potential of a missile defense system, and this concerns both South Korea and Japan, we will resort to our possibilities of developing military potential in this area," Ryabkov cautioned, TASS reported.

"If all this begins to unfold at such alarming rates, then inevitably, then at some moment, the question will probably arise as to our response in military terms of creating some counterbalances," the senior diplomat noted.

THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is easily integrated into the missile defense systems of greater range and power, and all this is then fitting into the US integrated missile defense system, Ryabkov explained.

"THAAD is a missile defense system for the theater of operations."

Russia shares the concerns voiced by China on the plans to deploy the THAAD system in South Korea, he noted.

When asked if Russia may consider the deployment of its systems in response to this threat, Ryabkov stressed that "all options are on the table."
  [farsnews.com]
4/9/17