Vladimir Putin may be orchestrating a false flag assault on Russian territory as a pretext for launching a military campaign against the West, Poland's foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has warned. The Kremlin strongman would blame NATO for the staged attack before retaliating, echoing Nazi Germany's 1939 Gleiwitz incident that sparked World War II.
False Flag Warning
Sikorski argued that Putin's recent statements appear to lay the groundwork for a Russian deception. 'This sounds like an announcement of a provocation. I expect an attack on Russian territory under a false flag, to which Putin will respond,' he wrote on X. He drew parallels with August 1939, when the Abwehr staged a Polish attack on a radio station in Gleiwitz to justify war.
The warning came after Putin accused the West of scheming to wage war against Russia, telling prospective armed forces and intelligence personnel they face the possibility of battling NATO. 'We see that while NATO countries previously limited themselves to supporting the Kyiv regime, which came to power through an illegal armed coup, now the West is openly saying they are preparing for war with us and are increasing their offensive military budgets,' Putin stated.
Nuclear Rhetoric Intensifies
Russian state television, tightly controlled by Putin, has issued explicit warnings of nuclear conflict. Military analyst Col. Yuri Knutov declared: 'I believe the time has come to at least use tactical nuclear weapons at the level of 152-millimetre shells, so that defences in a number of areas of the front can be broken through, safely overcome, and we reach the Dnieper River.'
Knutov justified this by citing Ukraine's increase in strikes, drones, and cruise missiles over the past month and a half, indicating the West is 'doing everything it can to force us to take some kind of tough, drastic action.' Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, a proponent of nuclear strikes, remarked: 'Our club of nuclear maniacs has grown.'
Diplomatic Statements
Putin's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying about nuclear weapons: 'Well, I would still use them.' He also suggested Russia might deploy nuclear weapons to protect Belarus from a Ukrainian assault. Sikorski's comments underscore growing concerns in Europe that Putin is preparing for a major escalation, potentially dragging NATO into direct conflict with Russia.
