Russia confirms decision to scrap missile plans

MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia has dropped plans to install short-range Iskander missiles in its enclave region of Kaliningrad after the U.S. scrapped its missile defense program in Eastern Europe, a defense official said Saturday.

"Reason prevailed over ambitions, and there is no need in deploying tactical Iskander systems in Kaliningrad," Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin told the Ekho Moskvy radio station.

"Naturally, we will cancel the measures that Russia planned to take in response to the deployment of U.S. missile defense systems in the Czech Republic and Poland. One of these measures was the deployment of Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region," he said.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday announced plans to scuttle a Bush-era missile defense shield program in favor of a "phased, adaptive approach" in Eastern Europe.

The Bush administration had planned to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic as part of a shield to protect its European allies from missile threats from some "rogue states."

Russia strongly opposed the measure, saying it posed threats to its security.