The artillery brigade deployed in Kaliningrad has received the Smerch division of ultra-long-range multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), EDNews reports citing Bulgarian Military News.

These guns can with particular accuracy hit the positions of medium-range missiles, as well as enemy defenses. Experts note that NATO’s air defense has no way to intercept the Tornadoes. Thus, the MLRS became a symmetrical response to the building up of the alliance’s power in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.

The Smerch multiple launch rocket systems entered service with the 244th separate Neman Red Banner Order of the Suvorov and Kutuzov Artillery Brigade at the end of last year. Now soldiers and officers are mastering new equipment, sources in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia. These more powerful and long-range reactive systems replaced the MLRS BM-21 Grad.

Firing range of up to 120 km and the power of ammunition “Tornadoes” will reliably cover the Kaliningrad region. Their deployment in this region is quite justified, said Colonel Vladimir Anokhin, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems.

“All weapons systems in the MLRS reach zone that will be deployed against us in the territory of neighboring states can now be quickly destroyed,” the expert told Izvestia. – And the US missile defense in Poland will be useless, it will not reflect the blow of the new MLRS”.

Now in Poland, several tens of kilometers from the Russian border, two large NATO contingents are deployed. Since 2017, the multinational division Northeast has been formed in Elblag, where its headquarters and combat units are located. One of the four transnational alliance fighting groups created in 2016 to “contain Russia”, which is under US command, is housed in Ozhis.