DISINFO: Russian 9M729 missile does not violate INF Treaty
SUMMARY
The Russian 9M729 missile has a range of under 500km, and is therefore compliant with the INF Treaty.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narratives on the INF Treaty. The US has gathered detailed information on Russia’s flight-testing of the 9M792 missile to distances well over 500 kilometres. The US has provided Moscow with substantial information about the 9M729’s violations, including geographic coordinates and dates for the tests, but Russia continues to deny any wrongdoing. The INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) Treaty, signed in 1987, prohibits the US and Russia from possessing, producing or test-flying ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 km and 5500 km. In January 2019, Sputnik Italia all but conceded that the 9M729's technical specifications violate the provisions of the Treaty, but argued that Russia had been "pushed" to develop the missile by Washington's deployment of the Aegis missile defence system in Eastern Europe. See our debunk of this claim here. See the latest NATO statement on the INF treaty here.