Vladimir Putin is reportedly eyeing up four new targets as he struggles to secure a victory over Ukraine. Lithuania’s Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the Russian president could turn his attention to the Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – and Poland.
He claimed that uncertainties over the outcome of the four-year-long Ukraine war have caused the Russian people to question and turn on their government, leaving Putin scrambling for a win. Mr Kaunas told LRT: “Since the war in Ukraine is not unfolding as Russia planned, they are unable to win, and today explosions are echoing within Russia itself, there are fuel shortages…
“Russian society is already questioning the Kremlin regime about why this is happening and where the promised victory is.
“The Kremlin, Putin, needs a new escalation, some kind of new win, and the Baltic region and Poland are the nearest targets in this case.”
The Kremlin recently rejected such claims, branding them “the latest batch of scare stories designed to continue brainwashing the population and preparing it for further militarisation”.
In response, the country has stepped up security around critical transport and energy infrastructure, including bridges, electricity substations, gas supply systems, and communications hubs.
Plans are also being made in response to a potential Russian attack, LRT reports.
The Russian plane had no filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off. The aircraft was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace, the Polish Operational Command of the Armed Forces said.
The on-duty pair of Air Force fighters successfully intercepted, visually identified, and escorted the aircraft away from the area of responsibility.