Russia to end moratorium on deploying nuclear-armed missiles

Russia wants to lift the ban on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. This decision was provoked by similar actions by the United States.

This was stated by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Why Russia wants to lift the moratorium

Lavrov explained the decision by stating that the United States had started deploying such weapons, disregarding warnings from Russia and China. He claimed that the U.S. has already begun positioning missiles of this class in various regions worldwide.

As an example of "field tests" of medium-range ballistic missiles, he cited the strike by the Oreshnik missile against Ukraine.

"Today it is obvious that, for example, our moratorium on the deployment of medium and short-range missiles is no longer viable, and it will have to be abandoned. The United States has contemptuously ignored warnings from Russia and China and has actually moved to deploy this class of weapons in various regions of the world. As Russian President Vladimir Putin has unequivocally stated, we will respond to this, and we will respond adequately. The recent test of the latest Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic system, which we conducted in combat conditions, clearly demonstrated our capabilities and determination to implement compensatory measures," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Earlier, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that the appearance of the Oreshnik missile system in service with the aggressor state minimizes the need to use nuclear weapons. At the same time, he said that Russia was not strengthening but improving its combat doctrine.

We also wrote that a satellite image of the Russian nuclear missile R-30 Bulava appeared online. This missile is deployed on nuclear submarines.