Russia has reacted with blistering remarks to reports Romania is working at what is set to become the NATO alliance’s largest military base in Europe. One of the most chilling warnings coming from Russia in response to the base was voiced by a senator and vice president of the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Council of the Russian Federation, Andrey Klimov – who branded the Western military alliance the “NATO suicide club”.
The politician claimed this multi-billion project represents a “threat” to Bucharest and, the closest it is to Russian borders, the “more likely it is to be among the first targets for retaliatory strikes”.
He added: “If the Romanians like it, it’s their business, of course, but the NATO suicide club drags ordinary civilians into such adventures that can end very badly for their families and children. I’m not trying to scare anyone, I’m just reasoning logically. There won’t be any benefit for Romania from this and there will be more threats.”
In a four-word warning, he concluded: “This is a fact.”
The £2.14billion project will see the expansion of the Romanian Air Force 57th Air Base Mihail Kogălniceanu, located close to the Black Sea port city of Constanța.
The new massive base, with a perimeter of almost 20 miles, will bolster the eastern flank of the transatlantic alliance and will become the home of around 10,000 NATO personnel and their families.
While this week there was a flurry of reactions to this ongoing project coming from Russia, the expansion was approved by the Romanian government in 2019 – at a time of more distended relations between Moscow and the West.
After fundings for the first stage of the project were awarded to contractors in 2022, works began in 2023.
Romanian news outlets previously reported it will take two decades for the modernisation project to be completed.
Among the new infrastructures, the base will get a new take-off-landing runway and taxiways, a beacon and radio navigation system, as well as a building for flight simulations.
The Mihail Kogălniceanu base has been used by the US military since 1999.
