Kiev, Ukraine. A routine press conference collapsed into chaos and pandemonium as Secretary of Defense Oleksander Turchynov, a Poroshenko appointee, announced Ukraine was involved in a secret missile defense shield against Russia in cooperation with the European Union and NATO.
The implications if true are enormous. Ukraine sets directly on Russia’s border and any system termed defensive can become offensive, simply with a turn of a switch. Experts in military intelligence scrambled to learn more about the program that until Turchynov’s screw up, was virtually unknown in defense intelligence circles.
Ukraine, unlike North Korea-has actually used ICBM technology on its own citizen in the contested Donbass region. As recently as February, the Poroshenko administration has launched missiles on civilian areas of Donbass, killing scores of civilians they creatively label “terrorist” with word hockey.
To quote from the Ukrainian national news spokesperson, “The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksandr Turchynov, said that Ukraine is now restoring its missile shield, which should become a part of a unified system providing security on the European continent. He said this while congratulating the workers of the rocket and space industry with a professional holiday.”
“Thanks to this selfless hard work, Ukraine is confidently asserting itself on the world arena as a modern space and aviation power. There have been strategic successes in the production of modern aircraft and missile systems that are not inferior in comparison with the best systems in the world. The Ukrainian missile shield is being restored and will become a part of a unified system providing security on the European continent.” Turchynov added
With NATO missiles and defense systems in Poland, the Russian response to the Ukrainian announcement remains to be seen. But it is an escalation of tensions between the two sides in a hostile environment watered with gasoline daily by NATO and the Trump administration.