Vladimir Putin has his sights set on three European nations to the “northwest” of Ukraine and might assault them after this struggle is over, a navy skilled has claimed.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, however Putin had already displayed aggression towards different European nations lately.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania within the Baltics are all NATO members, however this would possibly not cease Putin from concentrating on the Baltic nations in line with Basic Sir Richard Shirreff.

Writing for the Every day Mail, he stated: “As soon as Putin has dominance over the ruins of Ukraine, he’ll look north-west, to the Baltic. Along with his Syrian ports gone, it’s a matter of urgency for Russia‘s navy to safe a base that isn’t ice-bound all through winter, as is the Arctic port of Murmansk.”

If Putin have been to do that, it might spark a direct struggle between NATO and Russia.

Article 5 of the NATO treaty obligates all member states to come back to the defence of an ally if they arrive beneath assault.

This is able to drag most of Europe, the US, and Canada right into a struggle with Russia.

There have been a collection of escalations between Baltic nations and Russia in current months.

Lithuania just lately introduced it had blocked and fortified a bridge linking it to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

In addition they lined the bridge with ‘dragon’s tooth’ to forestall any automobiles from crossing.

This got here after the announcement of a brand new prepare line between Kaliningrad and Moscow. Carriages had graffiti that displayed the Russian navy ‘Z’ image.

One other message stated Lithuania’s capital Vilnius is a “Russian metropolis.”

Dr Stephen Corridor, lecturer in Russian and post-Soviet politics on the College of Bathtub, advised the Kyiv Unbiased: “It is comprehensible that the Lithuanian authorities is apprehensive about this.

“The Baltics have a protracted historical past of being occupied by different overseas forces, notably Russia, and a comparatively brief historical past of being unbiased.”

Dr Corridor added that whereas he “would not count on to see Russian tanks in Riga or Tallinn, or Vilnius anytime quickly”, Lithuania and the opposite Baltic States are proper to be involved.