Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has placed full blame on NATO countries for the collapse of the self-imposed Russian moratorium on the deployment of short- and medium-range nuclear missiles, marking a serious escalation in the standoff between Moscow and the West. His remarks, posted shortly after an announcement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry, signal the country’s intent to abandon prior restraints and potentially take further retaliatory steps in response to what it views as rising military threats from NATO and the United States.
The Russian Foreign Ministry formally declared that Moscow no longer considers itself bound by its earlier unilateral ban on deploying ground-based intermediate- and short-range nuclear missiles. This development follows what the Kremlin describes as repeated provocations and the growing presence of U.S. missile systems in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific region — moves it sees as clear threats to Russian security.
On social media platform X, Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, stated that NATO’s “anti-Russian policy” had made the moratorium irrelevant. Calling it “a new reality,” he warned opponents to expect further action. The timing of his post came just hours after reports emerged of U.S. nuclear submarines being positioned in undisclosed "appropriate regions," a move that seems to have triggered Moscow's latest counterstep.
The Foreign Ministry outlined that since 2023, U.S. missile systems capable of launching INF-range weapons had been moved into NATO-aligned countries and were being actively tested during exercises Moscow views as provocative. The Ministry emphasized that the overall buildup of missile capabilities near Russian borders has created a “direct, strategic threat” and poses grave dangers to both regional and global stability.
Russia now considers itself free to match or counteract these deployments and will determine the scale and nature of its response based on how the situation evolves. Decisions will be made after a thorough interdepartmental review, taking into account the number and types of Western missiles deployed and their locations.
This dramatic turn comes years after the collapse of the historic INF Treaty — originally signed in 1987 by the U.S. and the Soviet Union — which banned land-based missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. The U.S. withdrawal in 2019 effectively dismantled the pact and opened the door for a renewed arms race.
Adding to the tension, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia retains the right to deploy such weapons if it detects direct threats from NATO. He urged restraint and caution when it comes to nuclear rhetoric — a pointed response to recent provocative comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.
With both sides hardening their positions, the rollback of the moratorium may be a turning point, introducing a fresh wave of instability into an already fragile global security environment.
