The expected end on July 1 of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty could prompt Kyiv to task the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau with making conventional warhead missiles capable of hitting military targets in Russia,

The expected end on July 1 of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty could prompt Kyiv to task the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau with making conventional warhead missiles capable of hitting military targets in Russia, Mariana Budjeryn, a disarmament expert, writes in a speculative piece in The Washington Post headlined: “Without the INF Treaty, Europe could see a new missile power. (Spoiler: It’s not Russia.)” Referring to Dnipro as “Ukraine’s missile capital,” she writes: “The Yuzhnoye facility, which survives by engaging in international space projects, would probably be more than willing to resume its missile-related work.” During the Soviet era, Yuzhnoye was a key designer and producer of ICBMs, intercontinental ballistic missiles that ultimately were aimed at the United States.