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    Opinione | Sono un europeo dell’Est e so cosa ha in programma Putin per il mio paese

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    1. theipaper on

      Full article: Sometimes the first sign of a coming aggression isn’t a tank – it [may be a balloon](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putins-phase-zero-could-do-next-experts-4031155?ico=in-line_link). 

      Over Lithuania, they drift in from Belarus with cigarettes tied underneath. On radar they show up as unidentified objects in Nato airspace. Vilnius and other airports have already had to divert or halt flights dozens of times because of these “meteorological” balloons, stranding passengers and disrupting travel. What starts as “smuggling” is hardly separable from the Belarusian regime – and that regime is tied to Moscow, making this a direct challenge to European security.

      No wonder people are concerned. I was recently approached on the street in Vilnius by a well-dressed woman in her forties. She asked, politely but pointedly, whether my daughter, whose birth was reported in the media last year, is still in Lithuania. The question caught me off guard, but it was purely geopolitical: because I comment publicly on security issues, people wonder whether I believe the country is safe for my family. I said yes.

      Yet, Northeast Europe is [already under siege](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/fear-defiance-baltics-face-putin-russia-threat-airspace-incursions-3938521?ico=in-line_link) – through a constant drip-drip-drip just below the threshold of open war. Russia’s confrontation with the West has moved into airspace, infrastructure, logistics and domestic politics.

      Hybrid attacks are part of daily life. Researchers tracking Russia’s “shadow war” across Europe have documented [ne](https://acleddata.com/report/testing-waters-suspected-russian-activity-challenges-europes-support-ukraine)[arly 200 suspected Russia-related hostile incidents](https://acleddata.com/report/testing-waters-suspected-russian-activity-challenges-europes-support-ukraine) on the continent since 2022, with the number nearly tripling between 2023 and 2024. The mood shows up at home too: a recent survey found roughly two-thirds of Lithuanians report heightened anxiety, tension or stress – up from just over half a year earlier.

      Security chiefs have stopped speaking in euphemisms. In mid-December, MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli [warned](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/mi6-chief-tech-giants-world-politicians-4110147?ico=in-line_link) that we are operating “in a space between peace and war” – pointing to cyber attacks on critical infrastructure and drones buzzing airports and bases – with Russia seeking “to bully, fearmonger and manipulate, because it affects us all”.

    3. Klown50 on

      It’s like playing chess against someone who only moves tanks you know the board won’t matter for long.

    4. StrangerConscious637 on

      Putin and Trump want to destroy us Europeans. They both officially said that. So no… this is not exaggerated. They both want to destroy our European Union and we should finally start fighting against it.

    5. Bingo_Swaggins on

      The meeting between Trump and Putin years ago was to define their piece of Europe, for sure!

    6. Nick_Strong on

      Many people underestimate how obsessed Putin is with (pseudo)history. When Tucker Carlson went to interview him, instead of focusing on the usual Russian talking points about “NATO expansion” or “Nazi Ukrainians,” Putin’s priority was to deliver a long lecture on history (at least as he sees it), going all the way back to Rurik. For Putin, Ukraine is a historical mistake, an artificial country that shouldn’t exist.

      He’s also at an age where legacy may be the most important thing to him. He wants to be remembered as the greatest Russian leader since Peter the Great, and in his mind, that requires territorial expansion. Also, Putin sees almost every post-communist country as part of Russia’s sphere of influence. For now, he can’t act on that because NATO still exists, and he doesn’t yet dare to test NATO’s response by invading a Baltic country.

      At the same time, surrounded by yes men who are afraid to tell him the truth, he probably believes Ukraine is on the verge of collapse, and he wants the whole prize, not “just” 19% of the country. This war could easily drag on into the next decade, and the best way to prevent that is for Ukraine to keep targeting Russian energy infrastructure and make the war economically unsustainable for Russia.

      Ultimately, the thing Putin cares about most is his own survival. As big as his imperialist ambitions are, nothing matters more to him than saving his own skin. Even before this war, it was well known how paranoid he is and how fearful he is for his own life. Putin is not completely unaware of how this war is affecting the Russian economy. If he believed things could get so bad that there was a real risk of a coup, or anything that could end his reign or even his life, he would stop the war and declare victory without hesitation.

    7. Futurismes on

      When von der Leyen gets replaced we definitely need someone from Eastern Europe

    8. Present_Student4891 on

      Europe needs to shoot down a Russian plane, capture a ship (hidden fleet), etc to show seriousness. Like Turkey did & Russian overflights ceased. Basically , gotta man-up.

    9. just_a_pyro on

      Fake article, a real Eastern European would claim to be Central European or Northern European

    10. dipnosofist on

      An extremele rare sighting of an Eastern European in the wild. Elves are more abundant.

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