Putin has two months left: why the Kremlin is increasing pressure on Europe and NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin may see the next two months as his last chance to turn the tide of the war against Russia. At the same time, the Kremlin is stepping up its military and information activities not only against Ukraine but also against NATO countries.

This is reported by The Independent .

Military observer Robert Fox notes that, despite the Kremlin’s claims of success, Russian troops have failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough on the front. According to him, Ukraine continues to contain the Russian offensive, while Russian army losses remain high.

“Putin now senses a window of opportunity to achieve some kind of ‘victory’ that can be sold to the Russian people by the end of September,” notes Robert Fox.

According to the columnist, the confidence of the Russian leadership is based, in particular, on international political uncertainty and the problems of Ukrainian air defense.

At the same time, Fox emphasizes that Ukraine continues to build up capabilities for long-range strikes against Russia’s military and energy infrastructure. According to him, Ukrainian missiles and drones regularly attack oil refineries, logistics facilities, and enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, which gradually weakens its ability to wage war.

The columnist also draws attention to growing economic difficulties in Russia, including fuel shortages, communication disruptions, and the worsening situation in occupied Crimea.

In addition, according to Fox, the Kremlin is increasingly actively transferring the confrontation beyond the borders of Ukraine . In particular, Russia has intensified information attacks against the Baltic countries, baselessly accusing them of facilitating Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.

Also, as the author notes, Russian military activity near NATO forces has increased . In particular, a Russian Tu-142 reconnaissance aircraft approached the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in the Norwegian Sea, and Russian submarines have intensified reconnaissance near critical maritime infrastructure in the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Irish Sea.

“The feeling that war is seeping from Ukraine throughout the region is growing,” Robert Fox emphasized.

According to the columnist, the Baltic countries and the states of Northern Europe are already preparing for possible crisis scenarios . In particular, Latvia has developed a plan for the evacuation of the population of border areas and prepared recommendations for citizens in the event of war, and 10 states on NATO’s northern flank are coordinating civilian evacuation plans.

Fox also suggests that in the absence of military successes, the Kremlin may resort to a new mobilization.

“The most likely option is to announce a partial or full national mobilization to recruit at least 500,000 new military personnel,” he noted.

According to the columnist, such a step would almost inevitably be accompanied by the introduction of full-fledged martial law in Russia. In conclusion, Robert Fox emphasized that the threat already goes far beyond the borders of Ukraine , and European allies need to accelerate the strengthening of their own defenses.

“We need to think hard, fast, and, contrary to habit, extremely practically about what is needed for the security of the nation right now,” he concluded.

It was previously reported that the Kremlin is actively building the psychological and informational foundation for a possible future war against NATO. At the same time, Russia is creating a network of “Trojan horses” , buying up real estate near military bases of NATO countries, to launch a coordinated sabotage campaign. The Kremlin has also intensified its propaganda campaign regarding the creation of the “Narva People’s Republic” , which may indicate that the Kremlin is preparing to attack Estonia.

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