Dec 18th 2013, 7:41:23
1) The Russians see the shield as a potential counter to their own Nuclear deterrent, so this secures that they still have something that is sure to evade a potential missile shield.
2) They are trying to frighten these countries into withdrawing from the project. Once the shield is completed, the US has a lot more influence over them.
They are basically trying to fight Western military/economic encirclement of their country.
