The new German chancellor Friedrich Merz announced this week that all restrictions on the use of Western supplied weapons to Ukraine have now been lifted. This may be significant in the case of the German Taurus cruise missiles which are probably now bound for Ukraine in numbers.

Putin’s lair in the Kremlin may soon be in range of some of these sophisticated weapons, which hitherto Russian air defences have struggled to stop. Published specifications on the Taurus suggest it may not have the range to reach Moscow, but it is much the same size and uses much the same technology as the American Tomahawk, which could definitely reach the Russian capital. Russian generals have already been assassinated near the Kremlin: it may become an even unhealthier location soon.