Russia Drops Self-Imposed Restrictions on Intermediate-Ranged Missile Deployments

Moscow said it originally kept some restrictions on the use of such weapons, even after the United States and Russia withdrew from the INF Treaty in 2019.

Russian military vehicles, including Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, roll on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

Russia will no longer abide by self-imposed restrictions on the deployment of intermediate-ranged missiles, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Aug. 4.

Until 2019, both Russia and the United States had been party to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which prohibited either party from having ground-launched nuclear and non-nuclear missiles that can travel between 310 and 3,400 miles.