Is The Russian Deployment Of Nuclear-Capable Missiles Into Kaliningrad A Message Directed At President Obama?

© AFP 2016/ ALEXANDER NEMENOV

John Schindler, Observer: Putin’s Activation of ‘Iskander-M’ Ballistic Missile Is a Message to Obama

The KGB officer in the Kremlin seeks one last, grand strategic humiliation for our president before he leaves office

It’s long been obvious that Vladimir Putin and his inner circle view Barack Obama with utter contempt. To the hard men in Moscow, who got their schooling in the KGB, our diffident, wordy Ivy League lawyer president is a weakling—almost a caricature of everything they despise about the postmodern West.

Here the Kremlin mirrors most Russians, who find Obama a puzzling and contemptible man. This is nothing new. I’ve heard remarkable put-downs of our commander-in-chief for years, going back to 2008, even from the mouths of highly educated Russians. Their comments are invariably earthy, insulting, and nowhere near politically correct.

It’s therefore no surprise that Russians view Obama with contempt—and so does their leader. As our president winds up his second term and prepares to move out of the White House, the Kremlin simply isn’t bothering to hide that contempt any longer, even in high-level diplomacy, where a modicum of tact is expected.

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WNU editor: Deploying nuclear missiles are not done because of personalities (especially when it comes to sending a message to a departing President) .... they are done in response to military actions/policies, to military doctrine, and to future political developments. In the case of deploying Iskander-M missiles in Kaliningrad, commentator Jay sums it up best on what is the Iskander M's role in Russian doctrine ....

.... If Russia believes that the US/NATO is moving to a "war footing" with Russia, Iskander M's and BraMos missiles are fired at US ABM sites and Radars in Europe, and against forward deployed AGEIS Cruisers and Destroyers.

This is to ensure that a US Nuclear First Strike, coupled with US ABM systems, will not prevent a Russian Counterstrike against the US, ensuring Mutually Assured Destruction.

But if there is a political message being sent, it is being sent to who the Russians now believe will be the next U.S. President .... and this tells me that they are expecting a President Hillary Clinton .... a candidate who has made no secret of her contempt for Putin and the Russian government.