“Russia Withdraws from CFE Treaty, Accelerates Production of Heavy Weapons”

As reported, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin already signed the decree on official withdrawal from CFE on May 10.

The CFE limits the deployment of conventional heavy weapons in Europe. This applies to tanks, armored personnel carriers, heavy artillery, warplanes and helicopters.

Moscow was one of the signatories of the agreement in 1990, but since 2007 it has suspended its participation in the CFE.

Since 2015, Russia no longer participates in the work of the CFE consulting group.

After the start of Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine last February, Putin ordered military industrial companies to rapidly accelerate the production of heavy weapons.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Ryabkov, whom Putin had entrusted to lead the debate in the State Duma on the adoption of the relevant law, announced that the CFE was against “Russia’s security interests”.

Ryabkov told the lawmakers that the full completion of the withdrawal procedure would take about half a year.

As reported, at the beginning of the year, Moscow also suspended its participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) concluded between Russia and the United States.