RUSSIA has declared there are now no limits on its deployment of nuclear missiles in a chilling warning to the West.
Throwing off its gloves and restraints, Moscow vowed to match US and Nato moves with force, reigniting fears of a Cold War-style arms race.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the United States and its allies of posing a “direct threat to the security of our country” by preparing to station intermediate-range weapons in Europe.
With Moscow claiming it now has the liberty to act, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated to the press: “Russia no longer sees itself bound by any restrictions.”
“Therefore Russia believes it has the right to take respective steps if necessary.”
The trigger, according to Russia, is the planned US deployment of Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles in Germany starting next year.
The Kremlin expressed that this action has dismantled the last vestiges of strategic stability, blaming Donald Trump’s USA for potentially escalating tensions dangerously between nuclear-armed nations.
It was the clearest warning yet that Vladimir Putin is prepared to redraw the red lines of nuclear deterrence — and challenge the West head-on.
Putin’s game-changer missile
Russia has already signalled what its next move might look like.
Putin is gearing up to deploy the Oreshnik missile—a formidable weapon capable of reaching Mach 10 and carrying multiple nuclear or conventional warheads—to Belarus before the end of the year.
This missile, which made its debut in Ukraine in November, is reputed for its speed and strength, claiming the capability to evade any Western missile defenses and strike targets across Europe.
Putin has bragged that just a few conventional Oreshnik strikes could inflict destruction on par with a nuclear attack.
The implication is grim: Moscow is hitting it could launch a “non-nuclear” strike with nuclear-level impact – a chilling new gray zone in war.
What is the Oreshnik?
The Oreshnik is Putin’s latest intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), traveling at Mach 10, which makes it nearly impossible to intercept.
The missile can strike targets up to 5,000 km away, covering much of Europe.
It carries up to six independently targeted warheads.
The weapon was first used in Dnipro Ukraine in November 2024, marking its battlefield debut.
It is designed to dodge missile defences with unpredictable flight paths.
The Oreshnik could be armed with nuclear warheads, increasing its strategic threat.
The missile can reach up to 4,000 degrees Celsius.
Its code name, Oreshnik, means hazel tree in Russian.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies the missile was derived from the RS-26, an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
Trump deadline & Medvedev threats
The timing of Russia’s move is no coincidence.
It came days after Trump ordered the repositioning of two US nuclear submarines in response to fiery nuclear threats from Dmitry Medvedev – Putin’s crony and deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
Trump’s move is tied to his looming Ukraine peace deadline, demanding the Kremlin strike a deal or face severe new sanctions.
But Medvedev fired back, warning Trump not to play “ultimatum games” with Russia and declaring that “each new ultimatum is a threat and a step toward war.”
Medvedev doubled down on Russia’s hardline stance this week, celebrating the scrapping of the missile moratorium as payback for what he called Nato’s anti-Russian policy.
He posted on X: “This is a new reality all our opponents will have to reckon with. Expect further steps.”
Cold War 2.0?
This is no empty rhetoric.
Intermediate-range missiles – flying between 310 and 3400mph – were banned for decades under the 1987 INF Treaty, a cornerstone of Cold War arms control.
But that pact crumbled in 2019, and now the gloves are fully off.
The US says Russia violated the treaty first. Meanwhile, Russia says it’s only reacting to American missile deployments in Europe.
But the result could be a full-blown arms race that looks alarmingly like the 1980s – only this time, with faster missiles, higher stakes and less room for error.
Analysts warn that these weapons are particularly dangerous because they slash response times to minutes – leaving world leaders with little time to distinguish between a real launch and a false alarm.
That hair-trigger dynamic could make a catastrophic miscalculation far more likely.
Putin knows this. He’s gambling the West will blink first.
But with nuclear submarines re-positioned and missiles moving into place on both sides, the world is watching a deadly new chapter unfold — one where fire and fury could come without warning.
Will there be peace in Ukraine?
THE prospect of peace in Ukraine remains uncertain as the Russia-Ukraine war continues into its fourth year.
Recent US-brokered talks, including direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, 2025, have yielded no breakthroughs, though agreements on prisoner exchanges signal some dialogue.
US President Donald Trump has pushed for a ceasefire, shortening a 50-day deadline for Russia to negotiate or face sanctions, but tensions persist with Russian advances in eastern Ukraine and intensified drone and missile strikes on cities like Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested territorial swaps, while Russia shows little willingness to compromise.
With ongoing military escalation and divergent American and European approaches, a lasting peace deal appears distant.
