Russia Uses Missile In Ukraine That Once Prompted US To Quit Nuclear Treaty, Kyiv Says

Last Updated:November 01, 2025, 08:01 IST

Ukraine accuses Russia of using the 9M729 missile, linked to the INF Treaty collapse, in attacks since August 2025, escalating calls for Western air-defence and Tomahawk missiles.

Ukraine accuses Russia of using the 9M729 missile, linked to the INF Treaty collapse, in attacks since August 2025, escalating calls for Western air-defence and Tomahawk missiles. (Pic: UNITED 24 Media)

Ukraine has accused Russia of using a missile whose development led to the collapse of a key Cold War–era arms control pact with the United States. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Russian forces have deployed the ground-launched 9M729 cruise missile, known to NATO as the SSC-8, in attacks across Ukraine, marking the first confirmed combat use of the weapon.

The 9M729 missile was at the heart of the US decision to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019. Washington had long argued that the missile’s range exceeded the treaty’s 500-kilometre limit, an allegation Moscow denied. Then-President Donald Trump formally pulled the US out of the pact, citing repeated Russian violations.

Kyiv’s latest assessment claims Russia has launched at least 23 of these missiles since August 2025, including one that reportedly travelled as far as 1,200 km, well beyond the INF threshold. The weapon, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads, gives Moscow an expanded strike range over Europe and represents a serious escalation in its arsenal of long-range precision weapons.

“The use of this system proves Russia’s complete disregard for international arms control norms," Sybiha said in a statement, calling for stronger Western air-defence support. Ukrainian military officials have claimed that the missiles have been used to target energy infrastructure and logistics hubs.

As a response, Ukraine has requested the US to provide it with long-ranged Tomahawk cruise missiles, allowing it to strike targets as distant as Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Western intelligence agencies are reportedly working to verify the missile fragments of 9M729 recovered at several strike sites across Ukraine.

Inputs from Reuters.

News world Russia Uses Missile In Ukraine That Once Prompted US To Quit Nuclear Treaty, Kyiv Says

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