Russia has been attacking Ukraine in recent months with the 9M729 cruise missile, the secret development of which once forced US President Donald Trump to abandon a nuclear arms control treaty with Moscow during his first presidential term.
This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha in a comment to Reuters.
Another unnamed Ukrainian official said Russia has fired the missile at Ukraine 23 times since August. Ukraine also recorded two launches of the 9M729 by Russia in 2022.
A military source reported that the 9M729 missile launched by Russia on October 5 flew more than 1 200 km before hitting a target in Ukraine.
“Russia’s use of the INF Treaty-banned 9M729 missile against Ukraine in recent months demonstrates Putin’s contempt for the United States and President Trump’s diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Sybiha said in a written statement.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry did not provide details or dates of the 9M729 missile strikes, but a senior official said they began on August 21, less than a week after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.
What is known about the 9M729 missile?
It was the 9M729 missile that forced the US to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in 2019. Washington said that this missile violated the terms of the treaty and was capable of flying much further than the 500 km limit, although Russia denied this.
According to the Missile Threat website, created by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, this missile can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads and has a range of 2 500 km.
According to the non-governmental organization Truth Hounds, this missile was often used by the Russians for dual attacks on Ukraine.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.