WW3 fears explode as Putin rushes ‘unstoppable’ nuke to NATO border: ‘8 minutes to London’
A new missile system that can reach temperatures nearly as hot as the sun has been moved closer to Europe
Putin has moved a new missile system with striking distance of London (Image: Getty)
Vladimir Putin has once again escalated tensions after deploying Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile to the border with NATO, where, once launched, it could strike the UK in less than 10 minutes. Russia’s new missile system has been set up in Belarus after being given the green light by dictator and friend to Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, putting all European capitals within range of a deadly strike.
Speaking on the new system, Lukashenko added: “The first positions [in Belarus] have been equipped with the Oreshnik missile system. We have had it since [Wednesday] and are going on combat duty.” The dictator even claimed it would make Belarus “strong” and force against threats, despite the missile system being thought to be fully controlled by Moscow. The weapon system is claimed to reach temperatures almost as hot as the surface of the sun, with a 4,000C blaze breaking out on impact.
Pavlovka village, just south of the Belarusian capital Minsk, is home to a new secret military base dedicated to housing the Oreshnik system, with a construction site spanning the size of 280 football pitches.
The nuclear-capable weapons were originally thought to be housed in a site in Kapustin Yar in southern Russia, but the move to their new home in Minsk brings Europe into a much shorter range.
Putin has only used the “game-changing” nuclear-capable weapon once – in a “test” launch in November 2024 against the Ukrainian city Dnipro, without a live warhead, an operation aimed at scaring both Kyiv and the West.
However, despite Lukashenko’s grand claims, Kyiv’s spying chief Oleh Ivanshchenko claims that the practically untested missile system is far from being ready.
Lukashenko will store the new system at a facility near Minsk (Image: Getty)
Ivashchenko instead believes the move to be a political pawn used by Putin to put pressure on NATO. However, he still warned of its far-reaching range, adding: “This move will allow Russia to boost its ability to launch a surprise strike on the capital of any European country.”
The threatening deployment by the Kremlin comes at a flashpoint in the US-brokered peace talks, with Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan still seemingly under intense negotiation.
The EU has voted through £79 billion in financial support for Kyiv, while Russia’s £224 billion stashed on the continent remains frozen and out of Moscow’s reach.
Volodymyr Zelesnky hailed the loan to Ukraine as a show of “significant support that truly strengthens our resilience”. He said. “Together, we are protecting the future of our continent.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added: “Ukraine will have to pay back the loan only after Russia has paid reparations.
The news comes as Merz and the EU upped support for Ukraine (Image: Getty)
“And we make it very clear: If Russia does not pay reparations, we will — in full accordance with international law — make use of Russian immobilised assets [in European banks] for paying back the loan.”
This came after EU states failed to unanimously agree to the expropriation of Russian assets to fund war-hit Ukraine.
“This is good news for Ukraine and bad news for Russia, and this was our intention,” said Merz.
Despite the missile’s new home in Belarus, Lukashenko has also appeared to criticise Putin’s relentless military operation in the latest blow to the Russian president.
He told the all-Belarusian People’s Assembly to applause: “We are doing everything we can to prevent war.
“We’ve had our fill of this war….We don’t need this war. Our happiness lies in a peaceful life. We don’t want to sit in swamps and dugouts any longer….”
Justifying the Oreshnik deployment on his territory, which borders Ukraine and three NATO states, he said: “To prevent that from happening, we must be strong. The world is like this today; it has always been like this.
“The strong have always been respected everywhere. That’s why we must be strong.”
