Russia Vows Army Retaliation If U.S. Missile Protection System Is Deployed in Greenland

[ad_1] America’ proposed Golden Dome missile protection system is drawing formal warnings from Russian officers who describe the idea as destabilizing and strategically provocative. As planning intensifies round deployment potentialities within the Arctic , notably in Greenland , Moscow has signaled it could take direct motion if key thresholds are crossed.

This improvement comes simply days earlier than the expiration of the New START treaty , the ultimate bilateral settlement capping US-Russian strategic nuclear arsenals. The collapse of that framework leaves longstanding assumptions about nuclear deterrence and arms verification in flux.

Rising protection exercise throughout the Excessive North is feeding issues in a number of capitals. Senior Russian figures have begun publicly linking Arctic missile protection planning to broader shifts within the international strategic steadiness, together with in areas traditionally buffered by arms management agreements.

Russian Officers Describe Golden Dome as “Provocative” and Destabilizing

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Safety Council Dmitry Medvedev , in an interview with Kommersant printed January 31 and relayed by TASS , described the Golden Dome as a direct risk to international stability. He labeled the initiative “extremely provocative” and argued it violates the strategic steadiness outlined within the New START treaty , which formally expired on February 5, 2026.

<img loading="lazy" width="769" height="584" decoding="async" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-02-21T164715Z_1998879928_RC2RFZ96ZXA2_RTRMADP_3_UKRAINE-CRISIS-NUCLEAR-PUTIN.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C585&quality=80" alt=" US President Barack Obama (L) and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) at Prague Castle in Prague April" class="wp-image-2103261"/> Obama and Medvedev signal the New START treaty in Prague in 2010. Credit score: Jason Reed/Reuters

His feedback comply with warnings from Deputy International Minister Sergey Ryabkov , who, throughout a press briefing on the Russian embassy in Beijing, acknowledged that Russia would implement “navy and technical compensatory measures” if the US locations missile programs in Greenland. These remarks have been first reported by Al Jazeera , which confirmed that Russian protection planners think about the island a purple line within the evolving Arctic safety atmosphere.

Ryabkov clarified that Russian response planning has already been finalized, although particular measures haven't been disclosed. His place means that Russian deterrence technique now considers Arctic missile protection deployment a direct set off for counteraction.

Golden Dome Design Shifts Consideration to Arctic Early-Warning Zones

The Golden Dome varieties a central pillar of the up to date 2026 US National Defense Strategy , emphasizing the necessity for enhanced homeland safety by means of layered defenses in opposition to fashionable threats—together with hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, and ballistic platforms.

Proposed by former President Donald Trump in 2025, the protect is meant to combine satellite tv for pc monitoring , space-based radar , and long-range interceptors , all coordinated to preempt threats earlier than they attain US or allied airspace. In latest public statements, Trump claimed to have reached a “framework of a future deal” with NATO Secretary-Basic Mark Rutte on potential collaboration relating to Arctic deployments. Nonetheless, as reported by Al Jazeera , no such settlement has been formally confirmed by both NATO or Denmark.

U.S. Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth speaks within the Oval Workplace on the White Home on Might 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump introduced his plans for the “Golden Dome”. Credit score: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Pictures

Protection analyst Cameron Chell , chatting with Fox Information Digital , emphasised that intercepting high-velocity threats calls for forward-deployed infrastructure. His assessment pointed to northern territories similar to Canada and Greenland as important for early detection and engagement. “You wish to take issues down earlier than they get excessive of the nation,” he mentioned, reinforcing why Arctic geography is pivotal to this system’s future viability.

Chell additionally famous that the Golden Dome is anticipated to price trillions of {dollars} and would seemingly characterize one of many largest navy and engineering efforts ever undertaken by america. Preliminary planning reportedly consists of drone surveillance, communications networks, and bolstered cyber infrastructure.

NATO Allies Specific Skepticism as Us Pursues Greenland Infrastructure Entry

Regardless of renewed US curiosity in Arctic basing, Denmark , which holds constitutional authority over Greenland’s protection and international affairs, has proven no willingness to authorize missile system deployments. In 2024 and 2025, Danish officers reasserted that Greenland is not for sale and wouldn't turn into a staging floor for unilateral American protection initiatives.

An indication studying ‘Greenland will not be on the market!’ is seen in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 20, 2026. Credit score: Jason Reed/Reuters

Nonetheless, Trump’s January 2026 remarks counsel a willpower to include Greenland into US strategic structure, even when formal treaties stay absent. Tariff threats geared toward European allies reluctant to assist the venture have been later retracted however have contributed to tensions throughout the Atlantic alliance.

Up to now, no bodily parts of the Golden Dome have been transferred to Greenland, and no building exercise has been documented by satellite tv for pc or on-site observers. The US Division of Protection has not issued a public roadmap or confirmed remaining basing places.

Treaty Expiration Removes Remaining Verification Channel Between Nuclear Powers

The expiration of New START , which capped US and Russian deployed warheads and launch platforms since 2011, leaves each international locations with none energetic arms limitation treaty . Beneath the settlement, each nations carried out common on-site inspections and shared detailed information on warhead counts, launch autos, and infrastructure.

Ryabkov advised TASS that Moscow had prolonged a proposal to protect the treaty’s numerical limits for one more 12 months, however no formal US response adopted. Al Jazeera confirmed that Ryabkov described the silence from Washington as a transparent rejection. His full statement emphasised that the shortage of engagement leaves no opening for additional Russian outreach.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov , in parallel remarks, acknowledged that the world is now getting into “a extra harmful place than it has ever been earlier than.” With out verification protocols or mutual limits, deterrence postures are anticipated to turn into much less predictable and extra reactive.

Arctic Surveillance, Drone Integration, and Orbital Radar Drive Future Planning

Pentagon-affiliated sources cited by Fox Information Digital counsel that the Golden Dome will in the end depend on an built-in array of space-based sensors , low-Earth orbit radar , and uncrewed surveillance belongings . These programs are meant to trace missile launches in actual time and assist the exact focusing on of interceptors.

Drone platforms, together with autonomous reconnaissance models, are being thought-about for layered intelligence gathering and missile cueing. Chell highlighted the significance of securing detailed terrain and atmospheric information throughout northern Canada and Greenland as a part of the system’s operational scope.

The Fox Information report additionally pointed to potential satellite tv for pc partnerships with personal protection contractors , together with Lockheed Martin, to ship core orbital parts. Nonetheless, no procurement contracts or deployment schedules have been made public.