SOFRINO, Moscow region. May 4 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian missile defense system is capable of detecting ballistic missile launches in the direction of Europe, Russian Missile Defense Division Commander Maj. Gen. Vladimir Lyaporov said on Friday.
"The location of the missile defense system in the center of Russia's European part allows it to detect all ballistic missiles attacking European countries from any direction," he said.
"Highly accurate target assignments can be given to existing and future interception attack systems located both on the territory of Russia and abroad," the general said.
The spread of nuclear missile technologies in the world "increases the threat of medium-range missile use by third countries," he said.
"Ballistic missiles held by third countries today have a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, and up to 5,000 kilometers in the future," Lyaporov said.
"Our missile defense system has successfully tackled the task of protection against such strikes," he said.
"The surveillance coverage of the missile defense system's means allows them to detect launches of ballistic missiles targeting European countries from the southern direction," Col. Alexei Zolotukhin, the Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman for the Aerospace Defense Forces, said.
"The flying time to a target in Europe stands from 12 to 16 minutes. Highly accurate information about detected targets is available two minutes after their launch," he said.
"Incoming information about followed ballistic targets can be used as target assignments by all countries jointly tackling missile defense tasks," Zolotukhin said.