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Intermediate range weapons have emerged as a critical flashpoint in escalating tensions between Russia and the West, particularly as Moscow abandons its self-imposed deployment moratorium.
These missiles occupy a unique and destabilizing position in modern warfare due to their reduced flight times and strategic positioning capabilities, making them a key concern for global security experts and policymakers. Here are some facts about intermediate-range weapons:
• Intermediate-range missiles can fly between 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles), positioning them between short-range tactical weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
• These land-based weapons were previously banned under the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which both Washington and Moscow abandoned in 2019 amid mutual accusations of violations.
• They are considered particularly destabilizing because they take less time to reach targets compared with intercontinental ballistic missiles, leaving decision-makers with minimal response time and increasing the risk of nuclear conflict over false launch warnings.
• Russia’s new Oreshnik intermediate range missile, first used against Ukraine in November, can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads and has sufficient range to reach all of Europe.
• The Oreshnik’s multiple warheads can reach speeds up to Mach 10 and are described by Putin as immune to interception, with conventional strikes potentially as devastating as nuclear attacks.
• The current deployment concerns echo the Cold War-era European missile crisis of the 1980s, when both the U.S. and Soviet Union positioned intermediate range missiles across the continent.
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