Russia security · October 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in October 2026 that Russia is prepared to use its full arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if Kaliningrad is attacked. A Kremlin aide said Russia would retaliate swiftly if NATO carries out threats against the region, and the Kremlin described a letter to NATO about Kaliningrad as not confrontational. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told a Euronews defence summit that Russia should stop its nuclear threats. The statements came as Russia prepared to conscript 120,000 people for the fall and after a reported record loss of 46,230 troops in September. Putin said Ukraine and Europe believe they can hold the remaining parts of the Donbas for only one and a half to two years, and that the DNR will be captured much sooner than Kyiv and Europe expect; he stated that 11 percent of the DNR territory remains under Ukraine's control. Russian drones struck a busy bridge and a school in Kyiv; two drones hit the major bridge, and Zelensky condemned the drone strike on the school. A Russian colonel was arrested in a corruption probe into Kursk border defenses, and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev broke ranks with NATO over Russia's nuclear threats.