Russia stops sharing nuclear and test launch information with US

If sharing is caring, Russia could not care less about the United States. On March 29, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow was halting all information exchanges with Washington.

Russia already said it was pulling out of the new START treaty. It was the last arms control pact between the U.S. and Russia. The decision meant Russia stopped sharing basic information about its nuclear weapons program with the U.S., like how many warheads it had and their condition.

tit-for tat after putin’s new start treaty suspension
 
it’s all bad news pic.twitter.com/QnvyCLKJDY

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) March 28, 2023

Moscow justified the withdrawal from the START treaty by saying it couldn’t accept the agreement at a time when Washington and its NATO allies have openly declared Russia’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal. The U.S. originally offered to continue providing information about its own nuclear weapons to Russia even after President Vladimir Putin suspended his country’s participation in the treaty. The U.S. has since stopped sharing that information as well.

Ryabkov’s latest announcement now means Russia won’t even give the U.S. a “heads up” before test launching missiles. Such advanced notices were an essential part of maintaining strategic stability for decades. Without advanced warnings, the possibility of mistaking a test launch for an actual attack increases.

Western intelligence officials said Russia ending all information exchanges with the U.S. is another attempt to put pressure on the West and end its support for Ukraine. The announcement also comes just a few days after Putin said he would be deploying tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

⚡️Drills on YARS ICBM have started— Ru MoD pic.twitter.com/9D5bqQWalK

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) March 29, 2023

Ryabkov announced Russia’s new policy decision as its military kicked off new drills in Siberia. The Russian Ministry of Defense said Yars mobile missile launchers are deploying to three regions in the Russian province. The Yars is the backbone of Russia’s strategic missile forces. It’s a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of about 6800 miles. Ryabkov, of course, didn’t say if the Yars drills included any test launches.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.