Interfax
Russian Admirals Want President To Respond To NATO Expansion
20 January 1997

SEVASTOPOL, Jan 20 (Interfax) - Russian admirals and generals serving in Sevastopol asked the Russian president to take urgent steps to enhance Russia's security in view of planned NATO's expansion eastward.

The letter, made available to Interfax Monday, urges *Boris Yeltsin* "not to sign START-II and maintain new missile systems with nuclear warheads and not to reduce the country's nuclear potential."

The admirals and generals ask him to make a statement to the effect that "if NATO does expand eastward, the capitals and vital installations in all the alliance's member-states will be targeted by nuclear ballistic missiles." The president should also "explain Russia's position to the world community and ask it to press the governments of countries in and outside NATO not to act recklessly by threatening Russia," their letter reads.

The authors of the letter also think that "the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty has to be revised because it puts Russia in an unequal position in a dramatically changing situation."

"Under a nuclear umbrella of security Russia will be able to restore its economy and the might of its armed forces and thus make a new war impossible," they argue.

The letter was signed by Adm. M. Khronopulo, Vice Adms. L. Vasilyev, R. Likhvonin, V. Larionov, V. Nekrasov and N. Ryabinsky, Lt. Gens. P. Goncharov and N. Fadeyev, Rear Adms. V. Averin, S. Alexeyev, M. Bochkaryov, V. Bykov, A. Golovachyov, P. Dubyagin, L. Dvindenko, P. Dronin, N. Yermakov and others.