Russia's hardliners push Putin toward total war while he insists Ukraine recognize annexed regions

Hardline factions within the Kremlin have intensified pressure on President Vladimir Putin following recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow, including an attack that damaged a refinery. These groups are calling for a shift from diplomatic efforts to a strategy of total war, even suggesting the use of tactical nuclear weapons and the systematic bombing of major Ukrainian cities to render them uninhabitable.

Putin has so far resisted the most extreme proposals. In a recent address he reiterated that peace negotiations can only restart if Ukraine acknowledges the Russian annexation of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and adopts a stance of permanent military neutrality, excluding NATO and any other security blocs. He downplayed the impact of Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure, saying they do not alter the situation on the front lines. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov echoed the president’s position, dismissing Ukrainian overtures for ceasefire talks as unrealistic.