PUTIN is ready to rocket the Baltics as part of a chilling plan to “break up NATO” after a sham re-election, a former Ukrainian lawmaker has warned.
Aliona Hlivco believes that the powerful tyrant is ready to step up his invasion and may even conquer territories outside of Ukraine.
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The Yars intercontinental ballistic missile was test-fired as part of Russia’s nuclear drills in October 2022. Credit: Alamy
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Putin may be emboldened by his sham re-election to target other non-NATO countries. Credit: EPA
Aging dictator Putin, 71, is set to consolidate his hold on Russia until at least 2030 as millions head to the polls this weekend.
But with any opposition figure who could challenge him jailed, exiled or dead, there is little hope that the election will be free or fair.
This means that the tyrant – the Kremlin’s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin – is destined for a fifth term at the head of the country.
Experts fear it could embolden the fame-mad Russian leader to burnish his legacy by invading Europe.
And bombshell German intelligence documents reveal that he could launch a large-scale attack on the West as early as 2026.
The German Spaniards, who recently noticed a “significant intensification of Russian armaments”, fear that Putin’s army is preparing for something big.
Signs of Russian military reorganization, troop movements and missile deployments in the country’s west could signal that Russia will double its military might in the next few years.
Ms. Hlivco, now director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, warned that Putin “has mastered a hybrid tactic that has proven quite devastating to the West and at minimal cost to the Kremlin.”
A former Ukrainian politician believes that Putin’s next step could be an attack on the Baltics.
She told The Sun: “As far as the Baltic states are concerned, in my opinion the threat is real.
“Not only in the sense of a hybrid attack by arming migrants or a cyber attack to demobilize critical infrastructure, but also a kinetic missile attack, etc.
“We have already seen fragments of Russian missiles falling on NATO territory (Poland and Romania) without a strong response.
“So I think Russia will try to take advantage of that and test NATO’s resolve in the north.
Trigger-happy Putin closer to nuke than EVER feared as documents reveal nuclear attacks and invasion plans
“The Baltic countries have already established their borders with Russia where possible and mobilized their populations to be ready to defend their country should the need arise.”
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon believes that Latvia or Lithuania – both Baltic nations – could be the first to be targeted by Putin.
He warned that the “deranged megalomaniac” would “throw everything into the Ukrainian meat grinder” as he desperately tries to make ground after more than two years of his invasion.
The former military commander said it was likely that Putin would then go to war with the West if he saw success in Ukraine.
He told The Sun: “I think he’s doing everything he can at the moment [in Ukraine].
“He’s throwing everything into the ‘meat grinder’ hoping to outlast Western support, which is likely to weaken at the end of this year.
“If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he will go to war with the West.
“They will attack Latvia and Lithuania first – both of which are NATO.”
Putin’s attack on a NATO country would trigger Article 5 – meaning other nations in the alliance would come to the aid of their ally and take the necessary measures.
It could see troops from the UK and US sent to defend against Russia – potentially leading to all-out war with the West.
Former US general Ben Hodges warned that Donald Trump’s return to the White House could worsen the situation.
He told The Sun: “Putin’s plans are to destroy Ukraine and break up NATO by testing whether the US and other alliance members would actually respond to a limited attack on a NATO country.
“If he sees that we are unwilling or unable to help Ukraine win, then he will be encouraged.
“In the unfortunate event that Trump returns to the White House, and if Trump does what he has been threatening for years – to turn his back on NATO allies – then Putin will see an opportunity to attack NATO.
“It is not inevitable, but certainly Putin will seek to rebuild his military for such a campaign in the next few years.
“This is why the readiness and preparations of all NATO countries and the cohesion within the alliance are essential to prevent such a terrible misjudgment by Putin.”
FEAR OF NUKA
In a speech just two weeks ago, Putin warned that the West was at risk of nuclear attack as he ranted at Russian elites for more than two hours.
But Mr de Bretton-Gordon insisted that a power-hungry Putin could launch attacks on the West but was unlikely to use nuclear force.
He added: “Putin knows that many Western leaders get wind of the nuclear program – but it’s a bluff.
“Even if his tactical nukes do work, he knows the US and UK would destroy them by conventional means before he could launch them.
“It would also be an excuse for the West to use overpowering convention means to destroy Russian forces in Ukraine.
“Nato together is militarily much more powerful than Russia.
“Putin may be a deranged megalomaniac, but he’s not completely stupid.”
He also believes that Putin cares more about Russia and its legacy than handling nuclear weapons.
He said: “Putin will never go to Armageddon because that would be the end of his dream of a great Russia.
“He has a great legacy, so he doesn’t want to destroy the planet.
“But he is a master strategist when it comes to manipulating weaker Western leaders.
“He’s bluffing about nukes and the sooner we figure that out the better.”
Mr Hodges added: “Of course we have to accept that [the threat of nukes] seriously because Russia has thousands of nukes and apparently doesn’t care how many innocent people they kill, including their own.
“But the probability that they will use a nuclear bomb is close to zero.
“They know that there are no positive outcomes for them if they use a nuke and instead that their nukes are most effective when they don’t actually use them.”
It comes as polling stations are open for three days instead of one for the first time, and online voting is an option in 27 Russian regions and in Crimea, which Putin illegally seized a decade ago.
Brash Putin also opened voting in the annexed Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – despite not being fully controlled by Russian forces.
The tyrant orchestrated constitutional reforms that allowed him to run for two more terms.
Previously, the Russian government limited presidents to a maximum of two consecutive six-year terms.
But in 2020, Putin pushed through an amendment exempting him from presidential term limits until 2036 – by which time he would be 83.
Ms Hlivco said: “When it comes to Putin, he has effectively secured his lifetime stay in power.
“Given his age, I doubt he will live to a third term, but he will definitely try to transfer power to someone who will guarantee the safety of his family, if not directly to one of his daughters.
“There are rumors in the Russian opposition forces that he may be preparing his eldest to jump in.”
Mr Hodges believes that when Putin is inevitably re-elected, he will have three main objectives.
He said: “First – continue to consolidate its power. Second – continue its campaign to destroy Ukraine. Third – rebuild its military to continue operations against nations on its periphery, including potential NATO countries.
“That is why it is crucial that we help Ukraine defeat Russia, otherwise Russia will never change, and Putin will eventually be replaced by another Putin-like autocrat.
“We have a generational opportunity to fix/improve European security for decades, if we don’t waste it.”
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Experts say the image-conscious Vlad will do anything to protect his legacyCredit: AP
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A voter casts a ballot during a mock presidential election in Moscow on FridayCredit: AP
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The Russian tyrant will seek to “break NATO” if he sees success in Ukraine, experts warnCredit: Reuters
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