Russia says it could respond to Ukraine’s latest attacks with nuclear weapons.
That warning came after Ukrainian drones struck targets in St. Petersburg during Russia’s flagship international economic forum, an event hosting roughly 20,000 attendees from more than 130 countries. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said attacks on Russia’s territorial integrity could, under Russia’s military doctrine, justify the use of nuclear weapons in a worst-case scenario.
The strikes are significant not only because of where they occurred, but because they hit deep inside Russia on civilian targets while Moscow is hosting one of its most important economic and diplomatic gatherings. Reports also circulated of civilian casualties from a separate drone attack on a passenger bus, adding to domestic pressure on the Kremlin to respond.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to publicly support peace negotiations while simultaneously renewing his push for NATO membership. During meetings with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Zelensky released another of the now-familiar wartime videos that have become a staple of his public image: solemn tributes to the soldiers he sent to their deaths and once again portraying himself as the tragic hero of a war he refuses to end.
Whether Russia’s nuclear warning is a genuine threat or another attempt at deterrence, one thing is clear: the war is expanding beyond the battlefield. As attacks reach deeper into Russian territory and rhetoric grows more extreme, the risk of a wider confrontation continues to rise.
