The Russian Missile Used in Ukraine That Led Trump to Quit a Nuclear Treaty

Russia has deployed the 9M729 cruise missile in attacks on Ukraine, marking the first official confirmation that this ground-launched missile, whose secret development triggered the withdrawal of the United States from the INF Treaty in 2019, is now being used in combat. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and other senior officials disclosed to Reuters that the missile has been fired at Ukraine 23 times since August 2025, with two additional launches recorded in 2022.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has not commented on these reports. The 9M729, which can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads, has an estimated range of up to 2,500 km according to the Missile Threat database maintained by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In one incident on 5 October, a missile reportedly traveled more than 1,200 km before striking a residential building in Lapaivka, Lviv Oblast, killing five civilians. Photographs of debris from the strike showed missile fragments, including a cable-filled tube clearly marked as 9M729.

The missile’s development was a key factor behind the US exit from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed with the Soviet Union in 1987, with Washington claiming that Russia’s deployment exceeded the 500 km range limit, a charge Moscow has consistently denied. INF-class missiles are defined as ground-launched ballistic or cruise systems with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km, generally capable of carrying nuclear payloads.

Sybiha criticized Moscow’s actions, stating that Russia’s use of the INF-banned 9M729 demonstrates President Vladimir Putin’s disregard for US concerns and President Trump’s diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The White House has declined to comment specifically on these launches, though Trump recently authorized renewed US nuclear weapons testing, citing the testing programs of other countries.

The INF Treaty officially ended in 2019 after mutual accusations of violations. Russia subsequently announced it would abandon the self-imposed restrictions on intermediate- and shorter-range missile deployments it had adhered to since the treaty’s collapse, a step confirmed by Russian officials in August 2025. Western authorities maintain that Russia has deployed the 9M729 in violation of the treaty’s previous limits, while Moscow continues to reject these claims.