MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/. The tests of new missiles for the Iskander-M ballistic missile system do not violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), and also help counter a nuclear threat, Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee in the upper house of Russia’s parliament Viktor Bondarev said on Thursday.

The successful trials of the new missiles have again demonstrated Russia’s military potential, the senator said.

"I want to stress that the new OTRKs [the new missiles] tested the other day do not violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty effective since 1988 because their flight range does not exceed 500 km. We … made this public at the Kapustin Yar practice range in the Astrakhan Region by launching a new missile to the utmost distance of 480 km," Bondarev said.

Amid tense geopolitical developments and an escalating international situation, "measures to strengthen the country’s defense capability are of special importance," he stressed.

"The development and the subsequent activation of new precision missiles for striking anti-ballistic missile defense and air defense objectives serves as a guarantee of both Russia’s and international security," the senator’s press office quoted him as saying.

The Iskander-M theater ballistic missile system has no analogues in the world, Bondarev said.

"Its mobility, accuracy and might help counter even a nuclear threat, which is especially important in the context of the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula and the US response to them. I believe that the active development of domestic OTRKs is an important containment factor," he stressed.

Currently, Iskander-M brigades have been deployed in many of Russia’s geographically vulnerable regions bordering on the territories accommodating NATO’s missile defense elements, Bondarev said.

Iskander-M missile system

A new missile designed for the Iskander tactical ballistic missile system was tested on October 18 at the Kapustin Yar ground in the Astrakhan Region in south Russia, testing ground chief Major-General Oleg Kislov said.

Iskander tactical ballistic missile systems are capable of hitting both small-size and large-area targets at a distance of up to 500 km to destroy missile and multiple launch rocket systems, long-range artillery guns, aircraft and helicopters at aerodromes, command posts and communications centers.

The Iskander tactical ballistic missile complex includes a launcher, a loader-transporter, a routine maintenance vehicle, a command post vehicle, an information post, an ammunition equipment set and training aids.