Russia threatened on Thursday that a new US military base in Poland could be subject to potential “destruction” with a “wide range of modern weapons”.

Moscow’s latest warning comes as it reportedly launched its first ICBM attack on Ukraine, significantly escalating the long-running war.

“Given the nature and level of threats posed by such Western military installations, missile defense bases in Poland have long been on the list of priority targets for potential destruction, which, if necessary, could be expanded Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Moscow The new U.S. ballistic missile defense base in northern Poland, which opened on Nov. 13, is part of “deeper destabilization operations” by the U.S. and its military allies under the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.

“This undermines strategic stability, increases strategic risks and, as a result, increases the overall level of nuclear threat,” the Russian spokesman added.

Poland said recent verbal threats from Moscow had strengthened its case for defending NATO. Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said the base is “purely for defense purposes” and does not host “any” nuclear missiles. “Such threats will certainly serve as an argument for strengthening Poland and NATO’s air defenses, and the United States should also consider it,” the Polish spokesman said.

The U.S. missile defense base in Radzikovo, northern Poland, is part of a broader NATO missile shield, called “Aegis Ashore,” which the alliance says can intercept short- to medium-range ballistic missiles. is According to NATO, the alliance’s missile shield includes US Navy destroyers at a naval base in Spain, as well as sites in Poland and Romania, and early warning radars in Turkey.

Russia’s latest warning comes after outgoing US President Joe Biden authorized the use of Ukraine. US-supplied long-range missiles Attacking targets deep inside Russian territory, a long-pending demand of Kiev. Ukraine fired US-supplied ATACMS missiles into Russia for the first time in the war, and Russia responded by changing its nuclear doctrine. The new strategic doctrine states that “any aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state with the cooperation or support of a nuclear state would be considered a joint attack”.