Russia singles out four countries which will be ‘first to suffer’ in threat to NATO
Russia has named four NATO countries—Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—as the first places it would strike if a war broke out between Russia and the West. This warning came from Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence, in what many see as another attempt to scare and divide NATO’s eastern members.
He said if NATO or its allies attacked Russia or Belarus, the whole NATO alliance would suffer, but those four countries would be hit the hardest. He blamed their political leaders for pushing aggressive ideas and accused Poland of raising tensions by asking for US nuclear weapons and planning to place landmines along its borders with Belarus and the Russian region of Kaliningrad.
These threats come as Russia continues its war in Ukraine and tensions with the West grow. In March 2024, President Vladimir Putin ordered nuclear readiness drills and accused the West of trying to break up Russia. Russian officials have also claimed that NATO is responsible for rising tensions in Europe.
Recently, Poland and the Baltic states withdrew from an international agreement banning landmines. They said Russia’s aggression had made the security situation too dangerous to keep following the treaty.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that if Russia isn’t stopped, it could go after NATO territory next, potentially starting a global war. Western intelligence agencies believe Russia might be getting ready for a bigger conflict with NATO within the next five years.
At the same time, there’s been division within NATO. Some of Donald Trump’s allies have pushed to reduce U.S. spending on the alliance. Trump himself has said he might let Russia attack NATO countries that don’t meet their military spending goals. Elon Musk, a vocal supporter of Trump, has even called for the U.S. to leave NATO altogether.
Leaders in Poland and the Baltic countries are asking the U.S. to clearly confirm its commitment to NATO’s promise that an attack on one member is an attack on all. They believe Russia’s goal is to divide NATO, scare its most vulnerable members, and test how far the West is willing to go.
These threats came just days after a Russian missile attack killed 34 people in the Ukrainian city of Sumy. In the Kherson region, local officials said more people were injured and critical infrastructure was damaged in further attacks.
