KYIV – In a grave escalation of the conflict, Ukraine has accused Russia of using the notorious 9M729 cruise missile in a recent attack, the very weapon that directly caused the collapse of a landmark Cold War nuclear pact.
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| Russia's use of the INF-banned 9M729 against Ukraine |
Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, confirmed the deployment of the banned, nuclear-capable missile. This marks the first confirmed use of the weapon in the war and provides a grim vindication for the United States' decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty back in 2019.
The "Smoking Gun" in Lviv
According to Sybiha and reports from Reuters, the "smoking gun" evidence was found in the war-torn Lviv region. Wreckage bearing the specific designation 9M729 was recovered from the village of Lapaivka following a deadly Russian strike on October 5.
This discovery is not just another piece of battlefield debris; it is a symbol of a shattered global security architecture.
"Russia's use of the 9M729 missile... demonstrates Putin's absolute contempt for the United States and all past arms control agreements," Minister Sybiha stated in a forceful condemnation. "This is the final, bloody proof that their years of denials were lies."
The Ghost of the INF Treaty
The 9M729, known by its NATO designation SSC-8 "Screwdriver," is the missile that single-handedly destroyed the 1987 INF Treaty.
The Treaty: Signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the INF Treaty was a cornerstone of European security. It banned all ground-launched missiles, both nuclear and conventional, with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
The Violation: For years, the U.S. warned that Russia was secretly developing, testing, and deploying the 9M729, a ground-launched cruise missile with a range that fell squarely within the prohibited band. Russia consistently denied the missile's existence or claimed it was treaty-compliant.
The Collapse: In 2019, the Trump administration, citing irrefutable evidence of Russia's "material breach," formally withdrew the United States from the treaty. Russia followed suit, and the agreement collapsed, opening the door to a new arms race.
A Deliberate Message of Contempt
The use of this specific missile against Ukraine is seen as a deliberately provocative act. It serves as a political message as much as a military one.
"For years, Russia lied about this weapon. Now, they use it openly to terrorize our cities," Sybiha added. "It confirms the 2019 U.S. withdrawal was based on hard reality, not conjecture."
While the 9M729 used in the Lviv strike was likely conventionally armed, its status as a "dual-capable" (conventional or nuclear) weapon makes its deployment a significant escalatory step. It demonstrates that Russia is unbound by any previous agreements and is willing to use its most controversial "treaty-violating" assets in its war, sending a chilling message of intent to both Kyiv and its NATO backers.
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