German newspaper discloses locations of Russian 9M729 cruise missiles
Russia has deployed 9M729 cruise missiles in the locations that previously have not been reported. On February 10, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, citing western intelligence sources, wrote that the missile divisions are located near Mozdok in North Ossetia, and in Shuya town near Moscow, reports the Russian service Radio Liberty.
Previously reported cruise missiles installations are located at the Kapustin Yar Russian rocket launch and development site in southern Russia and near the city of Kamyshlov, east of Yekaterinburg, notes the publication.
According to a German newspaper, each of Russia’s four 9M729 missile divisions has four wheeled launchers armed with four missiles. This means that Russia has at least 64 such missiles, which can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear warheads, specifies the publication.
The authors of the article argue that with a range of up to 2,350 kilometers, these missiles, from their current position could reach Eastern and Northern Europe. The redeployment of the same rockets to the west could threaten territory of all European countries, excluding Portugal, says the article.
The Russian side declares that the range of 9M729 cruise missiles does not exceed 480 kilometers.
On February 5, after Washington and Moscow announced the termination of the key arms control treaty agreement signed in 1987, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu announced plans to develop new types of missile systems in the next two years.
Washington claims that Moscow has violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by creating and deploying the 9M729 missile system. According to a source in the State Department, the United States recently informed its Western allies that Russia has already deployed four divisions armed with the 9M729 cruise missile.
Currently, Russia has 100 such missiles. Moscow denies all charges, stating that the range of the 9M729 missile is 480 kilometers, which is 20 kilometers less than the lower limit set by the treaty.
On December 4, 2018, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave Russia 60 days to return to compliance with the agreement, setting a deadline on February 2.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Treaty on the Elimination of Medium and Low-Range Missiles. Pompeo claims that the State Department will give Russia an official statement of withdrawal from the agreement in six months if Russia does not return to the implementation of the treaty’s provisions. The example of Russia’s violation of the treaty is the new Russian missiles 9M729.