Vladimir Putin officially announced his next military targets: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
On Saturday, the 80th anniversary of the end of the blockade of Leningrad, Putin made wild accusations against NATO and its member countries, which he accused of adopting Nazi ideology and methods.
More specifically, Putin attacked the Baltic countries. He accuses them of treating their Russian-speaking population as “subhumans” and depriving them of their most basic rights.
Putin, who claims to be the protector of the Russian diaspora, has already used the same rhetoric to justify the invasion of Ukraine.
- Listen to international political expert Loïc Tassé on Benoit Dutrizac's show QUB :
Orwellian
The Orwellian propaganda of the Russian leadership has long been evident.
Nobody believes that the NATO leaders are fascists. Conversely, Putin's dictatorship is strengthening year after year, and although he is not a Nazi himself, his regime, which was initially more or less democratic, has become authoritarian. He is now flirting with totalitarianism.
In addition, Putin relies on other dictatorships: Belarus, Iran, North Korea and China. We would look in vain for a democracy to support its occupation of Ukrainian lands.
How can Putin now have the audacity to threaten the Baltics so directly?
Development in favor of Russia
The answer likely arises from developments in the war in Ukraine and the state of the coalition supporting Ukraine.
Supported by the contribution of Iranian and North Korean military equipment, the Russians have launched around fifty attacks on all fronts in Ukraine in recent days. They rely on winter conditions to make new breakthroughs.
The situation is all the more dangerous for the Ukrainians because the Trumpists in the American Congress refuse to grant Ukraine new military aid.
- Listen to international political expert Loïc Tassé on Benoit Dutrizac's show QUB :
Will Putin really attack the Baltic states? If words mean anything, it is clear that Putin is preparing the Russian people for this new war.
However, there are indications that Russia does not have the means to conquer all of Ukraine. In fact, more than 40% of Russia's GDP is spent on the war effort against Ukraine.
Under these conditions, it is difficult to imagine how Putin could wage war against the Baltic states. But until the eve of the outbreak of war against Ukraine, most people still doubted the possibility of this invasion.
An attack on the Baltic states, which are part of NATO, would most likely trigger a war against Russia.
Unless Donald Trump comes to power and decides to back down. His very limited understanding of international relations, as well as his love of dictators, certainly makes Putin believe that there could be a great opportunity to expand his empire.