Russia no longer considers itself bound by self-imposed restrictions on the deployment of ground-based medium- and shorter-range missiles, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
«The actions of the „collective West“ collectively lead to the formation and buildup of destabilizing missile capabilities in regions adjacent to the Russian Federation, creating a direct threat to the security of our country, including of a strategic nature. Overall, such developments carry a serious negative charge and significant detrimental consequences for regional and global stability, including dangerously escalating tensions between nuclear powers», — quoted the ministry by «Interfax».
Missiles with a range from 500 km to 5,500 km, which during the Soviet era were equipped with nuclear warheads and targeted at European NATO members, were destroyed in the late 1980s under a treaty signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan.
«Since our repeated warnings on this matter were ignored and the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of US-made ground-based INF in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Foreign Ministry notes the disappearance of conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons», — the Foreign Ministry statement reads.
According to American data, Russia already has missiles in service that fall into the medium- and shorter-range category. This is the 9M729 missile of the «Iskander» complex, which can be equipped with a nuclear warhead. Although the declared range of the complex is 500 km, the US believes it can fly much further, and when deployed in the Kaliningrad region, its strike radius covers Western European capitals.