Summary
- Western intelligence sources warned Thursday that Russia may be preparing provocations in the Baltic states or Poland to test NATO’s unity, amid mounting pressure on the Kremlin from Ukraine’s precision strikes near Moscow and St Petersburg.
- Latvian intelligence said it had detected signs of potential hybrid attacks, including missiles and drones, aimed at halting Western support for Ukraine.
- A Western military source described the moment as “a period of danger,” noting fears that Russia could escalate violently if it feels cornered.
Western intelligence sources warned Thursday that Russia may be preparing provocations in the Baltic states or Poland to test NATO’s unity, amid mounting pressure on the Kremlin from Ukraine’s precision strikes near Moscow and St Petersburg.
Latvian intelligence said it had detected signs of potential hybrid attacks, including missiles and drones, aimed at halting Western support for Ukraine. A senior political source from another NATO member confirmed similar concerns, noting that Vladimir Putin was “planning something against the Baltic states.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also cautioned Belarus, saying Russian equipment stationed there was being used to attack his country.
The warnings come ahead of NATO’s annual summit in Ankara, where leaders will confront questions about U.S. commitment to the alliance and the fragile security situation on its eastern flank. A Western military source described the moment as “a period of danger,” noting fears that Russia could escalate violently if it feels cornered.
Geopolitical anxiety has spiked before, particularly in autumn 2022 when setbacks in Kharkiv province raised fears Moscow might resort to nuclear weapons. That threat eventually subsided, but current intelligence suggests renewed risks of destabilization in Eastern Europe.
