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Russian Hardliners Urge Putin to End US Talks, Consider Nuclear Strike
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Russian hawks are furious over Ukrainian drone strikes and an allegedly unfulfilled US promise to mediate the war on terms favorable to Moscow. Consequently, they are demanding that Russian leader Vladimir Putin abandon diplomacy and escalate Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
While calls for harsher military actions are not new, recent deep strikes targeting Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Crimea have intensified these demands, as reported by Reuters on June 26.
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For now voices have long pushed for full mobilization, the destruction of Kyiv’s government quarter, the assassination of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, strikes on European drone factories, and even the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
Analysts note that this escalating rhetoric reflects growing anxiety over the reach of Ukrainian drones and complicates Kremlin decision-making by raising public expectations, even as Moscow attempts to keep diplomatic options open.
The domestic pressure on the Kremlin has intensified following a recent Ukrainian strike that set fire to a oil refinery in Moscow. In response, nationalist tycoon Konstantin Malofeev publicly questioned the restraint of the military campaign.
He stated, “What else has to happen before we start fighting for real? War means victory at any cost. Ukrainians are fighting, so they are fighting with all their might.” Malofeev also questioned why Russia is not utilizing the nuclear weapons developed and accumulated by past generations for this exact purpose.
While sources close to the Kremlin indicate that Putin tolerates this rhetoric within the strictly controlled political system he has managed for 26 years, the state has so far resisted demands to end negotiations.
However, three high-ranking government officials stated this week that talks with the US have yielded no results. They accused Washington of failing to honor peace proposals made during the summit between Putin and Trump in Alaska last year.
Putin has generally avoided endorsing the most radical nationalist proposals, though the Russian Ministry of Defense recently published the addresses of factories in several European countries that it claimed were producing drones for Ukraine, serving as an apparent warning.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also signaled an escalation last month by announcing intentions to launch systematic strikes on military targets in Kyiv, which was followed by heavier bombardments.
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Currently, Putin maintains confidence in his current strategy. Speaking to military academy graduates, he stated that Russia is close to capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka as part of its campaign to control the Donbas.
"Those who want to restore normal relations with us, to stop this endless drive for a strategic defeat of Russia, are on the rise," said Putin. "It'll all work out in the end."
On June 18, 2026, Ukraine launched its largest mass drone strike to date, severely hitting an oil refinery in Moscow for the second time in a week and forcing its complete shutdown.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported downing 992 Ukrainian drones over a 24-hour period, a massive volume that completely overwhelmed local air defenses and caused missiles to miss targets and crash into residential areas.
This precision strike successfully targeted Russia’s war machine, severely disrupting fuel supplies, pushing 15 regions into a fuel crisis, and forcing the capital to implement restrictions on gasoline sales.
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