Kathrine Frich
Hitting a NATO base would risk a massive global conflict.
Wars of attrition slowly drain resources and test public patience.
Just when some leaders suggest a resolution is near, actions on the ground point the exact opposite way.
A distant peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin remains completely unwilling to halt his invasion of Ukraine. In a sobering update, three Kremlin insiders recently shared this stark reality with reporters from Reuters according to Digi24.
This news arrives shortly after US President Donald Trump claimed a peace deal was “closer than people think.” Trump spoke separately with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
But the mood in Moscow tells a different story. Recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil ports have deeply angered the leadership, cementing their desire to fight on.
Pushing the boundaries
One source told Reuters that Putin recently rejected advice from his own team. Those advisers had suggested freezing the conflict along current battle lines.
Instead, he is entirely focused on seizing the whole Donbas region. He reportedly views this territorial prize as an absolute necessity, regardless of the mounting costs.
This relentless drive could soon push the violence beyond Ukrainian borders. Writing in the Kommersant newspaper, former Russian Defense Ministry official Andrei Ilnitsky outlined a highly troubling scenario.
He suggested future military stages could include strikes on NATO bases in Romania and the Baltic states. European factories that build weapons for Kiev might also become targets.
Testing the alliance
Hitting a NATO base would risk a massive global conflict. It would immediately test the core promise that an attack on one member brings a fierce response from all.
Jack Watling works as a military expert at the British Royal United Services Institute. He suspects Moscow might eventually use limited strikes to generate political chaos.
“The Russians are not seeking war with NATO, but such actions could divide the Alliance over how it should respond,” Watling explained to Reuters.
A heavy human cost
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates around two million troops have been killed, wounded, or reported missing since February 2022. Russian forces account for roughly 1.4 million of those casualties.
Yet, the Kremlin refuses to back down. When asked about the threats against European targets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept his answer deliberately vague.
He simply told Reuters that Russia cannot “turn a blind eye” to the militarization of Europe.
Sources: Reuters, Digi24, Kommersant, Center for Strategic and International Studies
