Rutte: NATO will defend every square kilometer as Russian embassies issue nuclear warnings

Russian warnings across several European capitals

In recent days, Russian diplomatic missions in several European countries — Britain, Ireland and Belgium — have published similar statements about possible nuclear weapons use. The statement from the embassy in Dublin followed an almost identical one from the Russian embassy in London a day earlier, Interia reports. Onet notes that a similarly worded letter was also published in the name of the Russian embassy in Brussels.

In all cases, Moscow said it would be ready to use "its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons," to defend its territory if NATO states attempted to cut off the Kaliningrad region from the rest of Russia. At the same time, Russian representatives insisted Moscow has "no plans to escalate the situation with Europe," while blaming European political elites for playing a "dangerous game."

Context: British press and the Kremlin

According to Interia, the Russian embassy's statement in London followed a publication by the British newspaper "I," which called Kaliningrad "Putin's greatest weakness," and a Sky News production titled "The Wargame," which simulated a conflict scenario featuring a conventional NATO strike on the region as a response to Russian aggression.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that "fanatical" voices from Poland and other European countries have repeatedly raised the issue of Kaliningrad, and said Russian diplomats were using these statements to remind "hot heads in Europe" about Russia's relevant legal documents.

NATO chief's response

Asked about a potential nuclear threat from Russia, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance would defend "every square kilometer" of its territory, adding there was no doubt about it — and that Putin knows it, so no such threat actually exists. He said that if anything did happen, NATO is ready to respond. According to Rutte, Russia's behavior stems from the fact that the situation in Ukraine is not going Putin's way, and that his goal is to divide the West and distract attention from support for Ukraine. Rutte also quoted Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who said that in response to any hybrid threat against Poland, Poland would do more for Ukraine, not less.

Recent incidents and nuclear arsenal figures

Onet recalls that in September a Russian Mi-8 helicopter entered Polish airspace near Braniewo, a week earlier Russian drones attacked a train near the Polish border, and a drone struck a truck on the Ukrainian side of the Dorohusk–Jagodzin crossing, sparking a fire.

Citing SIPRI data, Interia reports that Russia holds about 5,420 nuclear warheads, of which roughly 4,400 are in the military arsenal and about 1,796 are deployed. Globally, at the start of 2026 there were around 12,187 nuclear warheads, with Russia holding 5,420 and the United States 5,042.