Despite reports that President-elect Trump seeks to normalize relations with Russia, Moscow will deploy nuclear missiles in retaliation for NATO's military build-up along its border.

Even though the US election served as a convenient distraction, tensions between Russia and the US-dominated West have continued to escalate. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is essentially the multi-national army of "the West," has consistently provoked Russia by encircling its borders with hundreds of thousands of troops and military assets over the last two years as an effort to "contain" Russian influence and "aggression." In response to the massive troop build-ups, which people on both sides admit is likely the groundwork for a full-scale invasion, Russia has repeatedly promised to retaliate. Though most of Russia's threats of retaliation have been just threats, they have finally responded to the build-up by deploying their own military assets. In a move sure to send the one-sided Western, corporate media into a frenzy, a high-ranking Russian military official confirmed to Reuters that Russia will be deploying nuclear-capable Iskander systems and S-400 surface-to-air missiles to an exclave between Lithuania and Poland.

The missiles will be stationed in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave situated between Poland and Lithuania. Russia has previously sent Iskander systems to Kaliningrad as part of routine drills, but not as a permanent deployment. This case is also unique as it marks the first time that Moscow has linked the deployment of the Iskander systems and missiles directly with NATO's border build-up. Though Russia has so far done little to respond to NATO's not-so-veiled threats, some have speculated that having a potentially supportive voice in the White House may have caused Putin to change his strategy by alerting the world that Russia will now adopt a policy of "eye for an eye" brinksmanship in regards to NATO's build-up.

However, Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the defense committee in the Federation Council of Russia, claimed that Russia was finally forced to react to the US and NATO missile systems, military exercises, and troop deployments along its border with Eastern Europe as it has gotten to a point where continuing to do nothing threatens Russian national security. Ozerov said: "As response measures to such threats we will have […] to deploy additional forces. […] This reinforcement includes deployment of S-400 and Iskander systems in Kaliningrad." Putin seconded this view saying on Monday that Russia is "concerned by NATO's decision making." Putin continued: "What should we do? We have, therefore, to take countermeasures, which means to target with our missile systems the facilities, that, in our opinion, start posing a threat to us." Indeed, if the situations were reversed and Russia had been encircling the US border with missile defense in troops for over two years, it is obvious that the US would have retaliated in a much more drastic fashion much sooner.