DISINFO: Allegations about Russia's violation of the INF treaty are false
SUMMARY
US allegations that Russia’s 9M729 missile violates the INF Treaty are false. They are based on intelligence fabricated by the CIA and the US Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that the US is entirely responsible for the demise of the INF Treaty because of its noncompliance in several areas, and that Russia is fully compliant with the treaty. Pro-Kremlin outlets often claim that the US and other Western intelligence agencies fabricate intelligence reports in order to mislead Western decision-makers into adopting anti-Russian policies, or in order to justify them. The US government issued detailed refutations of Russian accusations of US noncompliance with the INF Treaty (see previous cases on the subject). In July 2014, President Obama officially accused Russia of testing an intermediate-range land-launched missile in violation of the treaty. Russia’s violations were also acknowledged by NATO Foreign Ministers in a meeting in Brussels on December 4th 2018. NATO allies share the US government’s assessment that Russia has developed and fielded a missile system, the 9M729, which violates the INF Treaty and poses significant risks to Euro-Atlantic security. In a statement released on February 1st 2019, the North Atlantic Council noted that Russia had “taken no demonstrable steps toward returning to full and verifiable compliance” and that “Russia will bear sole responsibility for the end of the Treaty.” More disinformation cases on the INF treaty can be found here, here, here and here.