Belgian defence minister says Moscow will be wiped off the map if NATO is attacked, Russia responds

Following Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken's declaration that "Moscow will be wiped off the map" if Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin decides to attack a NATO capital such as Brussels, the Russian Embassy in Belgium has issued a statement calling Francken's remarks irresponsible.

Source: Francken in an interview with Belgian newspaper De Morgen, as reported by European Pravda; Russian Embassy in Belgium

Details: Francken emphasised that Western countries must not allow themselves to be intimidated.

Asked whether he feared that Putin might one day launch a non-nuclear missile on Brussels, Francken replied: "No, because then he will be striking at the heart of NATO, and we will wipe Moscow off the map."

The Russian Embassy in Belgium has issued a statement describing Francken's words as "provocative" and "irresponsible".

Quote: "Francken's adventurism is, regrettably, an embodiment of a militarist deviation that is gaining ever more momentum in the European party of war."

Francken said in the interview that he doubts Putin would dare to launch a missile on Brussels.

Quote: "I'm more concerned about scenarios in the grey zone: little 'green men' in Estonia inciting the Russian-speaking minority against 'the Nazi regime'. Before you know it, they'll have annexed part of Estonia." ["Green men" are unmarked Russian soldiers or operatives who appear in foreign territories to carry out covert operations in order to destabilise or annex regions without overtly declaring military action – ed.]

Background:

• Russia has repeatedly carried out provocations violating NATO countries' airspace, most notably an incursion into Estonian airspace in mid-September.
• Earlier, General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said that the Alliance's firm response to Russia's airspace violations in Poland and Estonia has forced Moscow to act more cautiously.

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