Putin accuses Ukraine of obstructing peace and wanting to use nuclear weapons against Russia

MoscowVladimir Putin appeared on the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine to point to Volodymyr Zelensky's government as the main obstacle to peace. In a meeting with the top brass of the intelligence services, and without explicitly mentioning the anniversary, he stated that Kyiv is preparing to use "nuclear components" against Russia. The Kremlin is taking as fact a report from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) that claims France and the United Kingdom intend to provide nuclear technology to Ukraine. "They probably understand how this could end," Putin warned them, after the Kremlin suggested that this would be a factor "to be taken into account" in peace talks. The Russian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement warning of the risk of a direct clash between nuclear powers and its grave consequences. Paris, London, and Kyiv have all categorically denied this "falsehood" and attributed it to an attempt by Moscow to deflect attention from its "atrocious actions." The SVR had previously declared without evidence that Ukraine was working on creating a "dirty bomb"—a conventional bomb with added radioactive material. No evidence was ever found.

This denial has not prevented former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a frequent user of nuclear rhetoric, from seizing the opportunity to threaten the Ukrainian people with a nuclear attack. "There can be no shadow of a doubt that Russia, under these circumstances, should use any necessary means, including non-strategic nuclear weapons, against targets in Ukraine that pose a threat to our country," he wrote on Telegram. "And if necessary, against the supplier countries," he added.

In his speech, Putin also pointed to Ukrainian special services as the perpetrators of a wave of terrorist attacks with the complicity of the West. According to the Russian president, the goal of Russia's enemies is to sabotage the progress being made in the peace negotiations. "They cannot inflict a strategic defeat on us, but they are so eager that they cannot stop trying. However, this will lead them to the precipice, and they will regret it," the Kremlin leader declared.

In response to this alleged increase in terrorist acts, Putin addressed the FSB agents, the former KGB, seated before him, demanding greater protection for Russian state officials, especially those in the Ministry of Defense. This comes after several generals have been targeted in attacks in Moscow in recent months, the most recent in early February, and the intelligence services have been unable to prevent them.

This rebuke to the spies regarding the rise of terrorism on Russian soil came hours after another attack in central Moscow: a police officer was killed and two others were injured when an explosive device detonated next to a patrol car. The explosion occurred shortly after midnight in the square outside Saviolovsky train station, a major rail hub in the capital. Authorities have not clarified whether the attack is related to the fourth anniversary of the invasion, but Putin's accusations against Ukrainian special services indicate that, once again, Russia is blaming Kyiv.

The attacker approached traffic police officers inside a patrol car, and the device immediately detonated. What was initially investigated as a suicide bombing was later revealed, according to Putin, to be a remote attack. The Russian president explained that the man carrying the bomb had been recruited online and was unaware that he was carrying explosives. Once he was close to the police officers, someone detonated the device remotely.

Threat to two gas pipelines

During his speech, Putin also revealed the intention of Kyiv and its allies to sabotage two Black Sea gas pipelines, TurkStream and BlueStream, which connect Russia with Turkey and several Eastern European countries, such as Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria. This is not the first time the Kremlin has made such an accusation. In October, the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, also warned of an imminent attack that did not materialize. Now, however, the alert comes amid heightened tensions between Zelensky and the presidents of Hungary and Slovakia, two Putin allies, who blame Ukraine for blocking an oil pipeline that supplies these countries. In retaliation, Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán is blocking the transfer of a €90 billion European loan to Ukraine, and his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, has cut off Ukraine's emergency electricity supply.