Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Trump signs executive order on changing name of Department of Defense to Department of War
Syrian media: A car bomb detonated in Al Mashhad Street in Aleppo, potential casualties reported
Lebanese government: The army will act within the framework of the relevant decision during the August 5 session, but it has the right to exercise operational discretion
Lebanese government: The Army Commander outlined the restrictions related to the implementation of the plan, the first of which is Israeli attacks
Lebanese government: The Lebanese Army will begin implementing the plan under the available capabilities
Lebanese government: Any progress in implementing the US envoy's paper is contingent on the Israeli side's commitment
Lebanese government: Lebanon approved the paper's objectives in the cabinet and prepared the army's plan, but the Israeli side did not take corresponding steps
Lebanese government: The US envoy’s paper stipulated coordinated steps from all parties, and its implementation is contingent on the approval of the concerned parties
Lebanese government: 'Israel's' continued violations expose regional security and stability to grave risks
Lebanese government: The army command will submit a monthly report to the Council of Ministers

Russia expanded missile arsenal during deployment freeze: Ryabkov

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 11 Aug 2025 14:57
3 Min Read

Russia expands its intermediate and shorter-range missile arsenal during a deployment moratorium, lifting the freeze following rising tensions with the US.

Listen
  • x
  • Ryabkov: Russia expanded missile arsenal during deployment freeze
    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov speaks to the media at a news conference in Moscow, Russia, on February 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russia continued developing intermediate and shorter-range missile systems throughout its self-imposed moratorium on deployment and now possesses a substantial arsenal of such weapons, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said late on Sunday.

"When the moratorium was announced, we made it clear that it applied only to deployment, and did not mention any halt to (research and development) activities," Ryabkov told state-run Rossiya-1 broadcaster, as cited by RIA news agency. He added, "We used this time to develop the appropriate systems and to build a fairly substantial arsenal in this area. As I understand it, we now possess it."

The moratorium was a self-imposed pause by Russia on deploying intermediate and shorter-range missiles, announced after the United States withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019. Under this arrangement, Moscow pledged not to station such weapons as long as Washington refrained from placing similar systems near Russian territory.

Related News

Modi, Trump affirm strong ties despite US tariffs, China concerns

Carnegie: US push for military approach to Hezbollah arms worst option

Crucially, the freeze applied only to deployment and did not restrict research, development, or production. This allowed Russia to continue advancing its missile capabilities while maintaining the appearance of restraint, enabling rapid deployment once the moratorium was lifted in 2025.

From moratorium to strategic Response

Ryabkov’s remarks come in the wake of Russia lifting what it called a unilateral moratorium on deploying intermediate-range missiles earlier this month, a move it described as an inevitable response to actions by the United States and its allies.

The comments underscore the strategic backdrop of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, signed in 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty banned all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers, leading to the destruction of 2,692 missiles by 1991. It was considered a landmark step in easing Cold War tensions.

In the 2010s, the United States accused Russia of violating the agreement by developing the Novator 9M729 (NATO designation SSC-8) missile, which Washington claimed exceeded the treaty’s range limit. Russia denied these allegations, insisting the missile’s range was only 480 kilometers. On February 1, 2019, the Trump administration suspended US compliance and began a six-month withdrawal process, formally ending the INF Treaty on August 2, 2019.

Analysts warn that the situation resembles the unstable missile standoff of the 1980s, albeit in a far more complex multipolar environment. With the INF Treaty gone, Europe faces renewed risks of being targeted by both nuclear and conventional missiles. The ability to develop weapons under a deployment freeze shows how nations can exploit treaty ambiguities, while modern missile systems increasingly combine nuclear and conventional capabilities, complicating arms control efforts. As global powers expand their missile arsenals, the prospects for reviving meaningful arms control agreements grow increasingly uncertain.

  • United States
  • Sergei Ryabkov
  • Russia
  • Intermediate-range nuclear strike systems (INF)
  • Cold War
  • Russian Foreign Ministry

Most Read

Al Mayadeen English

Hezbollah’s weapons and the lessons of Syria, PLO, and Algeria

  • Politics
  • 2 Sep 2025
This Jan. 31, 2019 file photo, shows an oil platform in the Leviathan natural gas field, in the Mediterranean Sea off the Palestinian coast. (AP)

Netanyahu freezes $35 bln gas deal with Egypt over troops in Sinai

  • Politics
  • 2 Sep 2025
The Coming War On Iran Will Be Regional, Perhaps International

The coming war on Iran will be regional, perhaps international

  • Opinion
  • 2 Sep 2025
ap

Germany blocks EU push to sanction 'Israel' over war on Gaza

  • Politics
  • 31 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Senators demand end to GHF amid ethnic cleansing allegations
Palestine

Democratic senators call GHF Gaza aid scheme deadly, urge funding cut

Finnish flag in an undated photo (AFP)
Politics

Finland backs UN declaration supporting 'two-state solution'

UN Probe: Sudan’s RSF committed ‘myriad crimes against humanity’
Politics

Sudan’s RSF committed ‘myriad crimes against humanity’: UN probe

How a secret SEAL team 6 mission in North Korea collapsed under fire
Politics

How a covert US SEAL Team 6 mission in DPRK collapsed under fire

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS