Jamestown Foundation – Russian President Vladimir Putin used his annual address to the Federal Assembly (upper chamber of parliament), on February 20, to, among other issues, highlight advances in the country’s hypersonic missile systems. It was not the first time that Putin has warned potential adversaries of the development of new weapons capable of overcoming any air- or ballistic missile defense systems. Yet, he seemed to exude renewed confidence in the capacity of the domestic defense industry to develop and deliver these modern cruise missiles to the Armed Forces.
The political-military leadership is cashing in on Washington’s decision, announced on February 2, to suspend the United States’ participation in the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Putin’s political message was a mixture of denial and talking up future Russian cruise missile procurement—denying that existing systems violated the terms of the INF Treaty, while stressing that, in the future, new Russian super weapons will be impossible to defend against.
