Moscow: NATO to Practice Interception of Russian Missiles in Atlantic

NATO continues to implement its missile defense program despite the positive resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said.

NATO’s upcoming missile-defense drills in the Atlantic will involve training on the interception of Russian ballistic missiles, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said.

"The exercise will be conducted in the northeastern part of the Atlantic. It suggests only one thing: interception of Russian ballistic missiles is planned to be practiced. Such exercises raise our concerns," he told journalists on Friday.

The NATO "At Sea Demonstration 2015" exercise will be held in October 2015, under US guidance.

According to Antonov, the creation of a stationary European missile shield is now underway. At the same time, mobile ship-based ballistic missile interception systems are being built up and tested by NATO, he added.

"NATO continues to implement its missile defense program despite the positive resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue which once was posed as the principal reason for the creation of the European missile shield," Antonov pointed out.