Russia boasted it had deployed nuclear-capable missiles inside Belarus on Tuesday as Vladimir Putin sought to escalate tensions over Ukraine – just as peace talks appeared to be gaining momentum.
The intermediate-range Oreshnik missiles can reach speeds of up to Mach 10 and are immune to interceptions, according to Putin; Russia’s missile forces chief, Sergei Karakayev, previously claimed the weapons “can strike targets across the entire territory of Europe”.
Tensions between the countries have soared after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking Putin’s personal residence with 91 drones.
Volodymyr Zelensky called the claims a “complete fabrication” intended to undermine the latest US-brokered negotiations.
Russia threatened retribution in response to the alleged attack, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov calling the action “state terrorism”, adding: “Such reckless actions will not go unanswered.”
But Russia has failed to provide evidence of the attack and is under increasing pressure to do so.
“I don’t think there should be any evidence if such a massive drone attack is being carried out, which, thanks to the well-coordinated work of the air defence system, was shot down,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
The Kremlin dodged inquiries by saying that the investigation into the wreckage was in the hands of the Ministry of Defence.
Germany echoed Ukraine’s concern that the Russian claims could be used as a pretext for further escalation.
Donald Trump expressed support for Putin amid the allegations, saying he had been left “very angry” by the alleged attack.
He had expressed optimism earlier in the week, suggesting that discussions with Mr Zelensky on Sunday had been “positive” and “terrific”, with “a lot of progress” made.
Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine was committed to continuing talks on how to end the war, adding that he was ready to meet Putin in any format.
Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk told a government meeting: “Peace is on the horizon, there is no doubt that things have happened that give grounds for hope that this war can end, and quite quickly, but it is still a hope, far from 100 per cent certain.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was also part of the latest discussions, tempered his enthusiasm and called for a straightforward approach from all sides. “Now we need transparency and honesty from everyone – including Russia,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.
Despite Russia’s displays of strength, new data released by the BBC revealed that the country’s military losses are at a record high for the almost four-year conflict.
The report found that there were 40 per cent more obituaries for soldiers published in Russia in 2025 than in 2024. They were able to confirm the names of around 160,000 people who have been killed in total.
Experts believe that figure is well below the true number of deaths, which they say could be between 243,000 and 352,000.
Russia continues to attack Ukraine’s infrastructure with strikes on civilian port infrastructure. One person was wounded after a civilian ship and facilities were damaged in the Black Sea ports of Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk, according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba.
“This is yet another targeted attack by Russia on civilian port infrastructure,” Mr Kuleba continued. “The enemy is trying to disrupt logistics and complicate shipping.”
Ukrainian authorities condemned Russia after authorities reopened the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol this week, three years after a Russian airstrike on the building which was reported to have killed hundreds of people.
The theatre was destroyed when it was hit by a Russian airstrike in March 2022.
An investigation by the Associated Press found evidence that 600 people had been killed inside and outside of the building.
The Ukrainian City Council called the event to celebrate its opening “singing and dancing on bones”.
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