Ukraine accuses Russia of using INF-banned 9M729 missiles in repeated strikes

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of deploying the 9M729 cruise missile, known to NATO as the SSC-8, saying its use shows “Russia’s complete disregard for international arms control norms.”

The 9M729 was central to the US decision to exit the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019. Washington had claimed the missile exceeded the treaty’s 500 km range limit — a charge Russia denied. Then-President Donald Trump formally withdrew the US from the pact, citing repeated Russian violations.

According to Sybiha, Russia has fired the 9M729 missiles at Ukraine 23 times since late August, with two earlier launches recorded in 2022. One missile fired on October 5 reportedly traveled over 1,200 km, killing four people in the Lviv region.

NATO says the 9M729 can carry either a nuclear or conventional warhead and may have a range of up to 2,500 km. Analysts warn its renewed use marks a major escalation and a potential threat to European security.

Reuters quoted a senior Ukrainian official as saying Russia began using the missiles on August 21 — days after a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

“Russia’s use of the INF-banned 9M729 against Ukraine demonstrates Putin’s disrespect for the United States and for diplomatic efforts to end the war,” Sybiha told Reuters.

The revelation comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated in Brussels that Ukraine has not used American long-range weapons on Russian soil, stressing that Kyiv’s own systems can reach up to 3,000 km.

“Russia brought war to our land, and they have to pay for this war,” Zelensky said.