Russia will test launch a controversial missile over the next several weeks that U.S. officials say is raising new concerns about Moscow's growing strategic nuclear arsenal and Russia's potential violations of arms treaties.
The RS-26 missile is expected to be deployed with multiple supersonic, maneuvering warheads designed to defeat U.S. missile defenses in Europe, U.S. officials told Inside the Ring.
A House defense aide said the new missile appears to violate the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, based on recent tests and Russian statements that it is designed to thwart U.S. defenses. The treaty bans missiles with ranges of between 310 and 3,400 miles.
"The Russians are advertising this as a system capable of defeating U.S. missile defenses in Europe," the aide said. "At the same time, the State Department is accepting Russia's claim that this is an ICBM and doesn't violate INF. It can't be both."
