Russia Stops Sharing Missile Test Info with US, Opens Drills

This photo made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, shows a Yars missile launcher of the Russian armed forces being driven in an undisclosed location in Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This photo made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, shows a Yars missile launcher of the Russian armed forces being driven in an undisclosed location in Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
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Russia Stops Sharing Missile Test Info with US, Opens Drills

This photo made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, shows a Yars missile launcher of the Russian armed forces being driven in an undisclosed location in Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This photo made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, shows a Yars missile launcher of the Russian armed forces being driven in an undisclosed location in Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

A senior Russian diplomat said Wednesday that Moscow will no longer inform the US about its missile tests, an announcement that came as the Russian military deployed mobile launchers in Siberia in a show of the country’s massive nuclear capability amid the fighting in Ukraine.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that Moscow has halted all information exchanges with Washington after previously suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the US.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended the New START treaty, charging that Russia can’t accept US inspections of its nuclear sites under the agreement at a time when Washington and its NATO allies have openly declared Russia’s defeat in Ukraine as their goal.

Moscow emphasized that it wasn’t withdrawing from the pact altogether and would continue to respect the caps on nuclear weapons the treaty set.

The Russian Foreign Ministry initially said Moscow would keep notifying the US about planned test launches of its ballistic missiles, but Ryabkov's statement reflected a change of course.

“There will be no notifications at all,” Ryabkov said when asked if Moscow would also stop issuing notices about planned missile tests. “All notifications, all kinds of notifications, all activities under the treaty. will be suspended and will not be conducted regardless of what position the US may take.”

As part of the Russian drills that began Wednesday, Yars mobile missile launchers will maneuver across three regions of Siberia, Russia's Defense Ministry said. The movements will involve measures to conceal the deployment from foreign satellites and other intelligence assets, the ministry said.

The Defense Ministry didn't say how long the drills would last or mention plans for any practice launches. The Yars is a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of about 11,000 kilometers (over 6,800 miles). It forms the backbone of Russia's strategic missile forces.

The Defense Ministry released a video showing massive trucks carrying the missiles driving out from a base to go on patrol. The maneuvers involve about 300 vehicles and 3,000 troops in eastern Siberia, according to the ministry.

The massive exercise took place days after Putin announced a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, Russia's neighbor and ally.

Tactical nuclear weapons are intended for use on the battlefield and have a relatively short range and a much lower yield compared to the long-range strategic missiles fitted with nuclear warheads that are capable of obliterating whole cities.

Putin’s decision to put the tactical weapons in Belarus followed his repeated warnings that Moscow was ready to use “all available means” — a reference to its nuclear arsenal — to fend off attacks on Russian territory.

Russian officials have issued a barrage of hawkish statements since their troops entered Ukraine, warning that the continuing Western support for Ukraine raised the threat of a nuclear conflict.

In remarks published Tuesday, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, which Putin chairs, warned the United States and its allies against harboring hopes for Russia's defeat in Ukraine.

Patrushev alleged that some American politicians believe the US could launch a preventative missile strike on Russia to which Moscow would be unable to respond, a purported belief that he described as “short-sighted stupidity, which is very dangerous.”

“Russia is patient and isn’t trying to scare anyone with its military superiority, but it has unique modern weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in case of a threat to its existence,” Patrushev said.



Woman Detained after Shooting Outside CIA Headquarters

The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo
The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo
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Woman Detained after Shooting Outside CIA Headquarters

The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo
The logo of the US Central Intelligence Agency is shown in the lobby of the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia March 3, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed JIR/File Photo

Security guards opened fire on a woman who drove toward the gates of the CIA's headquarters near Washington, D.C. on Thursday, ignoring orders to stop, and she was then taken into custody, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a check of public records showed the suspect, identified as a young US citizen, had a history of driving under the influence.
A CIA spokesperson said earlier that security staff "engaged a person" outside the main gates and then arrested the suspect.
The spokesperson declined to say whether gunfire struck the suspect.
The source familiar with the matter also did not say whether the woman was hit but that she was in stable condition after the incident, which occurred at around 4 a.m. (0800 GMT).
NBC News reported earlier that the suspect was shot, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.
The woman drove into the main entrance through the outbound lane, and when security guards tried to stop her she evaded them and continued toward the gate, drawing their fire, the source told Reuters.
The vehicle never entered the CIA compound, and no security officers were hurt, according to the source.
The FBI was investigating the incident, the source said.
The CIA closed the main gate at its Langley compound and directed employees to seek alternate routes.
The shooting incident came after two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in downtown Washington on Wednesday night.
The source said there was no sign of a connection between the two incidents.