• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Russia Officially Completes Withdrawal From Open Skies Treaty

By RFE/RL's Russian Service December 18, 2021

Russia has officially completed its obligations under the 2002 Open Skies Treaty and finalized its withdrawal from the agreement.

Moscow gave treaty signatories six months' notice of its intention to withdraw on June 18, following the withdrawal of the United States in November 2020.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump accused Russia of "flagrantly violating" the agreement.

Specifically, Washington said Russia had imposed flight restrictions over the Kaliningrad region, the area near its border with Georgia, and the North Caucasus region of Chechnya.

The treaty allows signatories to conduct unarmed surveillance flights over the territory of other participants as a means of boosting mutual confidence and preventing misunderstandings. Thirty-three countries remain part of the agreement.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-open -skies-finished/31615503.html

Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.