If you follow the "news" of the last years, the "defence shield" was primarily intended to protect Israel and the US, against iranian long range missiles - some people here have a short period of remembering.
So when you look at any map, if this shield was initially planned to protect Israel and the USA (one cannot say this often enough), the location as we see it now makes perfect sense, doesn't it ?
Ah, yes, to protect Europe. Good they got this idea at last, otherwise it would not make NO SENSE at all.
This positioning indeed undermines the "equilibrium of terror", so the russian response is only logical.
It also seems the Russians are not quite as brainwashed as us. I do not know whether i should like that or not, though.
And, b.t.w.:
http://www.oneangryman.com/ken/2012/...r-with-the-us/