Kremlin may attempt ‘military provocation’ of NATO states to divert from Ukraine long-range strike campaign as Putin’s defence is feeling tension growing from Kyiv like never before, European spies have gathered.
Ukrainian drone attacks have increasingly targeted the infrastructure underpinning Russia’s war effort, with Putin even forced to massively scale back his Red Square military parade this year for fear of it being attacked by Kyiv’s drones.
As Putin comes under pressure, he last week threatened ‘nuclear strikes with catastrophic consequences’ if the West refuses to accept his demands over Ukraine.
Latvian intelligence told the Guardian: ‘We see indications that Russia is preparing military provocations against the Baltic countries or Poland.’
However, it would not be a full scale attack. A senior political source from another NATO member said ‘we are picking up intelligence’ that the Russian leader was ‘planning something against the Baltic states’.
They added that Putin may be willing to test US support for NATO’s smallest countries like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Latvian intelligence reportedly said Russia was considering ‘hybrid attacks, such as missiles, drones or other actions designed to send a signal: stop supporting Ukraine, or you will have your own problems.’
Last week Putin stopped operating his drone relay stations in Belarus after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky threatened to attack them.
