The July 2004 START Treaty exchange data released in October 2004, show the changes in the composition of the Russian strategic forces. Russia continues to decommission a number of strategic systems and to deploy some new ones. As a result, Russia currently has a total 874 strategic delivery platforms, which can carry up to 3885 nuclear warheads.

The number of the heavy SS-18 (R-36MUTTH/R-36M2) missiles has reached 108, as the Strategic Rocket Forces continued the process of liquidation of the Kartaly missile base (as of July 2004, only 16 missiles remained at this base) and decommissioned six older SS-18 missiles at the Uzhur base.

The number of deployed SS-25 (Topol) road-mobile missiles has reached 315, continuing the process of gradual decommissioning of this missiles at a rate of about 15 a year, which began in 2002. This trend is expected to continue. The Rocket Forces has consolidated all 15 remaining SS-24 (RT-23UTTH) rail-mobile missiles at one base in Kostroma. These missiles are expected to be withdrawn from service in the next few years.

The deployment of new SS-27 (Topol-M) silo-based missiles continued, although at a slow pace – six missiles were deployed in December 2003 and four more are expected to be deployed in December 2004. It is likely that ten more SS-27 (Topol-M) missiles will be deployed in silos in 2005-2006.

The Navy began removing missiles from the Delta III (Project 667BDR) strategic submarines at the Pacific Fleet, which probably marks the beginning of the process of decommissioning of these submarines. After this process is complete, all strategic submarines will be based with the Northern Fleet.