Russia uses nuclear-capable 9M729 Novator missile against Ukraine for first time.

Ukraine has confirmed that Russia used the 9M729 Novator ground-launched cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon once central to the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, marking the missile’s first verified use in combat.

On October 31, 2025, Reuters announced that Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Russia has fired the nuclear-capable 9M729 missile at least 23 times since August 2025 and twice in 2022, confirming its combat deployment. One missile reportedly traveled more than 1,200 kilometers before striking near Lviv, where debris labeled 9M729 was recovered. The missile, linked to the U.S. exit from the INF Treaty in 2019, had been viewed by Washington as a weapon capable of undermining global arms control stability.
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Publicly unveiled in 2019, the 9M729 Novator is a ground-launched cruise missile developed by NPO Novator, capable of carrying either a conventional or nuclear warhead and reaching targets at distances of up to 2,500 kilometers. (Picture source: RIA Novosti)

Ukrainian authorities state that Russia has launched the 9M729 Novator ground-launched cruise missile, known in NATO classification as SSC-8, twenty-three times since August 2025 and twice in 2022, marking its first verified use in warfare. One missile launched on October 5 reportedly traveled more than 1,200 kilometers before striking a residential area in Lapaiivka near Lviv, where debris bearing the 9M729 designation was recovered. The 9M729, capable of carrying either a nuclear or a conventional warhead, is linked to the 2019 withdrawal of the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which had prohibited ground-launched missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Russia has not commented on these specific Ukrainian claims, while Kyiv views this deployment as evidence of an expanding arsenal used against both Ukrainian and European targets.

The 9M729’s origins trace back to NPO Novator’s long experience with subsonic cruise missile development. It is believed to be a derivative of the sea-launched 3M14 Kalibr (SS-N-30A) missile, adapted for ground operations conducted with the Iskander-K system. According to available information, the 9M729’s airframe measures between 6 and 8 meters in length with a body diameter of approximately 0.514 meters and carries a single 450-kilogram warhead. It uses a solid-propellant booster for initial launch before transitioning to a small turbofan engine that maintains subsonic cruise speed, reportedly around 720 kilometers per hour. Its guidance system combines inertial navigation with satellite correction through GLONASS and GPS, with potential terrain contour matching in the final stage to enhance accuracy. The payload can be conventional or nuclear, giving Russian forces operational flexibility for both strategic and tactical missions. Each Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) carries four sealed canisters, each containing one missile, allowing for salvo launches or staggered strikes.

At the heart of the 9M729’s controversy lies its range capability, which directly influenced the INF Treaty’s collapse. While Russia claims the missile’s maximum range is under 500 kilometers, U.S. and NATO estimates place it at up to 2,500 kilometers, encompassing nearly all of Europe within potential reach. Western analysts, citing testing data, assert that Russia tested one version from a fixed launcher beyond 500 kilometers and another from a mobile launcher under the threshold, combining results to obscure treaty compliance. The U.S. National Air and Space Intelligence Center recorded the missile’s maximum range as 2,500 kilometers in its 2017 report, confirming it as an intermediate-range system. The 9M729’s performance parameters, including fuel load, airframe length, and turbofan efficiency, align with such extended ranges. One 9M729 launched on October 5, 2025, reportedly flew 1,200 kilometers, a figure consistent with these Western assessments. Russia continues to maintain that the missile’s modifications increased accuracy and warhead power but decreased overall range by 10 kilometers compared to its predecessor, the 9M728.

The Russian Ministry of Defense publicly presented the 9M729 for the first time in January 2019 at the Patriot Expocentre near Moscow to foreign military attachés and international media representatives. Lieutenant General Mikhail Matveyevsky, commander of Russia’s missile and artillery forces, described the 9M729 as a modernized version of the 9M728 missile, featuring an upgraded warhead and guidance system while keeping the same propulsion and fuel capacity. According to Matveyevsky, these improvements made the missile’s transport and launch container 53 centimeters longer than the earlier model, necessitating the creation of a new, larger launcher capable of carrying four missiles instead of two. He claimed that the maximum range remained 480 kilometers, in compliance with the INF Treaty’s limits. Western officials, however, viewed the presentation as an attempt to demonstrate transparency without addressing the testing discrepancies that had already led Washington to declare the system a violation of the treaty.

The 9M729 uses a road-mobile launcher resembling the Iskander-M’s 9P78-1 TEL, making visual distinction difficult and complicating future verification or inspection measures. By February 2017, U.S. officials assessed that Russia had already deployed two battalions equipped with the SSC-8 missile, each containing four launchers with six missiles per launcher. Reports by early 2019 from European sources, including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, indicated that four battalions were operational at Kapustin Yar, Yekaterinburg, Mozdok, and Shuya, giving Russia an estimated 64 missiles in total. The Russian government subsequently lifted geographic restrictions on intermediate-range systems on August 4, 2025, formally allowing deployment anywhere on its territory. Analysts from the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Pacific Forum noted that such systems could conduct strikes from deep within Russia while remaining beyond the reach of Ukrainian counterattacks.

Technical fragments collected after the October 5 strike offer strong indications of the missile’s type. Recovered debris reportedly included sections of a tubular cable housing, engine casing, and paneling consistent with Novator’s design layout. According to Reuters, Dr Jeffrey Lewis, from the Middlebury Institute, and other missile specialists who reviewed the imagery confirmed that the visible components matched the 9M729’s expected configuration, particularly the engine compartment and control surfaces. This evidence, combined with the measured flight distance, points to the 9M729’s use rather than other Russian long-range missiles like the Kh-101 or Kalibr. Its operational employment grants Russia an alternative attack axis independent of air or sea platforms, complicating Ukrainian air defense coverage. Analysts note that such use also allows Russia to test the missile’s reliability, precision, and survivability under wartime conditions, a step that could further inform its broader missile modernization strategy.

The missile’s reappearance on the battlefield revives unresolved questions about European security following the demise of the INF Treaty, also known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Originally signed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the treaty eliminated 2,692 ground-launched missiles from both sides by 1991 and remained a cornerstone of arms control for over three decades. After its collapse, Russia initially proposed a moratorium on intermediate-range missile deployments before later discarding it. The 9M729’s dual capability and long reach blur the line between conventional and nuclear deterrence, raising concerns among NATO members about response times and escalation risks. Its use in Ukraine indicates that Moscow not only retained the system but also integrated it into active military operations. The 9M729’s deployment alongside other strategic projects, such as the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater torpedo, highlights Russia’s continued pursuit of long-range precision weapons across multiple domains.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.