Russian acts of state come into effect after publication in the government daily newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta, and this occurred on December 3. The moratorium itself will take effect at midnight on December 12.
The law to freeze Russia's participation in Europe's main arms control treaty was signed on November 30 by President Vladimir Putin in response to U.S. missile shield plans for Central Europe and NATO expansion.
Moscow considers the CFE treaty to be discriminatory and outdated since it does not reflect the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the breakup of the Soviet Union, or recent NATO expansion.
Russia has been pushing for a new adapted version of the treaty. However, NATO countries have insisted on Russia's withdrawal from Moldova and Georgia as a condition for their ratification of the modified document.
