Deputy FM Ryabkov Calls Typhon Deployment ‘Projection of Force’; Warns Against US Intermediate-Range Systems
Moscow: Russia has declared it will implement “compensatory military-technical measures” if the United States deploys intermediate- and short-range missile systems in any region that poses a threat to Russian security. This firm stance was conveyed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov to TASS, who stressed that Moscow will respond appropriately to safeguard its strategic interests.
Ryabkov specifically commented on the movements of the American Typhon missile system, which is capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles and other munitions. While noting the system’s recent withdrawal from the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan, Ryabkov dismissed the movement as a potentially temporary shift, stating the system’s presence in the Asia-Pacific “has persisted long enough that it no longer makes sense to describe it as a short-term or isolated deployment.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister called the deployment a “projection of force, as understood by the Pentagon,” reinforcing Russia’s long-standing concerns—shared by China—about the introduction of medium-range weapons into the Asia-Pacific region following the 2019 collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
“We will consider and apply compensatory military-technical measures, if such systems are introduced in relevant regions from which they could pose a threat to our security,” Ryabkov concluded, signalling a potential new round of military escalation should Washington proceed with further deployment of these missile classes.