Russia cancels moratorium on medium-range missiles: CPD explains what threatens Ukraine
Russia has abandoned the RSMD moratorium: Kovalenko called it a formality.
Moscow has officially announced the cancellation of the moratorium on the deployment of land-based medium-range and shorter-range missiles. However, in the opinion of the head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defence Council, Andriy Kovalenko, this statement is purely formal, as the relevant missiles have long been deployed in the occupied territories.
The Russian Foreign Ministry explained its move by the fact that the initiative was not supported by the USA and its allies. The Russian side claims that Western countries have not only announced plans to deploy US RSMDs, but have also made progress in realising these intentions. In this regard, Moscow "no longer considers itself bound" by previous commitments. The future deployment of missiles, as noted in the statement, will depend on an analysis of the international security situation and an assessment of Western military activity.
Andrei Kovalenko recalled that in reality the deployment of Iskander-type missiles in Crimea began back in 2019, after the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missile Elimination Treaty (INF Treaty). Thus, the Kremlin's current rhetoric is nothing more than an attempt to present already committed actions as a response to Western escalation and assistance to Ukraine.
The expert stressed that such statements will not bring any real change in the balance of power, although Moscow will probably continue to use the missile factor for intimidation, including by mentioning the deployment of weapons in Belarus.
One of such tools of pressure remains a missile of the "Oreshnik" type, first used on 21 November 2024 in a strike on the Dnieper. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the combat test of this system. The Oreshnik is believed to be a modernised version of the RS-26 Rubezh missile, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear charges. According to Putin, its range reaches 5,500 kilometres and its flight speed is up to Mach 10.
Since its first use, the Oreshnik has become part of Russia's propaganda toolkit, regularly appearing in statements by politicians and in Russian media in the context of threats against Ukraine and the West.