Putin raises stakes in peace talks with boast of Oreshnik missiles in Belarus
Russia bragged 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 reportedly immune to interceptions, according to Vladimir Putin.
He had previously warned that the weapons could be used against Nato’s allies in retaliation for supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons.
Russia’s missile forces chief, Sergei Karakayev, previously boasted that the Oreshnik missiles “can strike targets across the entire territory of Europe”.
Tensions between the warring countries have soared after Russia accused Ukraine of a 91-drone attack on Mr Putin’s personal residence.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky called the claims a “complete fabrication” intended to undermine the latest US-brokered negotiations.
Russia threatened retribution in response to the alleged aggression, with the country’s veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov calling the action “state terrorism”, adding: “Such reckless actions will not go unanswered.”
But Moscow 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 stating that the investigation into the wreckage was in the hands of the ministry of defence.
Germany echoed concerns from Ukraine that the Russian claims could be used as a pretext for further escalation.
Donald Trump expressed support for Mr 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.
Zelensky said on Tuesday that Kyiv 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% certain.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was also part of the latest discussions, tempered his enthusiasm and called for “transparency and honesty” 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 of soldiers published in Russia than there were in the year prior. They were able to confirm the names of around 160,000 people who have been killed in total.
Yet experts believe that even those figures are a vast underestimate and the real number could be between 243,000 and 352,000.
Russia continued to target Ukraine’s infrastructure with attacks on civilian port infrastructure. One person was left 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,” Kuleba continued. “The enemy is trying to disrupt logistics and complicate shipping.”
Ukrainian authorities condemned Russia after authorities reopened the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol this week, three years after a Russian airstrike is reported to have killed hundreds.
The theater was destroyed when it was targeted by a Russian airstrike in March 2022.
An Associated Press investigation later found evidence that 600 people had been killed inside and outside of the building.
The Ukrainian City Council called out an event to celebrate its opening as “singing and dancing on bones.”
Source: independent.co.uk
