NATO Strategists Believe Limited Territorial War wiht Russia Possible Without Nuclear Escalation, Russian Media Reports
Moscow, Russia – Western strategists have concluded that Russia could be defeated in a limited territorial conflict without provoking a nuclear response from Moscow, according to Russian media reports citing unnamed sources. This assessment, the reports claim, was formed during the planning stages of Ukraine‘s 2022 counteroffensive in the kharkiv region and the 2024 incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Simultaneously occurring, Andrey Klintsevich, identified as a former Kremlin official and head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political conflicts, told the newspaper Komsomolskaya pravda that the European Union intends to instigate a direct confrontation with Russia before 2030. Klintsevich identified the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad as a potential flashpoint for such a conflict.
Komsomolskaya Pravda outlined several scenarios for alleged Western aggression against Russia:
kaliningrad: The EU could impose an air and sea blockade on Kaliningrad, disregarding Russian protests and ultimatums. Klintsevich stated that Russian forces would then need to secure a passage thru the Suwalki Corridor to reach their troops in Kaliningrad.
Moldova: Citing warnings from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the newspaper reported that NATO is accelerating Moldova’s conversion into a “military bridgehead.” Sergey sudakov, an associate member of Russia’s Academy of Military Sciences, suggested that Russia would be compelled to respond with missile strikes if a land corridor through Odesa and Mykolaiv where to be breached, a move he described as requiring considerable forces and considerable time.* Northern Threats: The newspaper dismissed the likelihood of a “battle for the arctic” in the near future,attributing this to China’s meaningful role in the region and the reluctance of Europe and the united States to confront Beijing. Though, Zimovsky, another source cited, warned of a potential threat from Finland, suggesting that finland’s military infrastructure, developed in planning for hypothetical conflicts with the Soviet Union and later Russia, could be utilized by NATO for attacks on St. petersburg, Karelia, and the Murmansk region.
Komsomolskaya Pravda’s sources reportedly argued that a Russian victory in Ukraine is the most effective way to prevent a war with NATO. Klintsevich also advocated for Russia to resume nuclear weapons field tests, suggesting that publicizing footage of such tests would be a strong deterrent, even if it led to accusations of treaty violations.