A POWER hungry Putin has launched another ruthless mission as he looks to expand Russian borders by encroaching on Nato waters.
Russia has taunted the West with the latest brazen sea operations in the Baltic Sea as heightened fears over the Kremlin’s nuclear testing continues to ramp up.
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Putin’s latest nuclear warnings comes as the tyrant launched additional tactical nuke drills near to Ukraine with the Kremlin saying they will be forced to use the weapons if Nato continues to interfere.
Dramatic pictures show Iskander and hypersonic Kinzhal missiles being moved across regions before they were fired through the sky.
The move is set to test “the readiness of combat units to respond and to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state”.
But the latest concern out of Russia revolves around Putin’s defence ministry announcing a shock bid to change Russian maritime borders with Finland and Lithuania.
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Russia is looking to once again make their own version of history by redrawing their territorial waters.
In a similar vain to how Putin invaded Crimea and Ukraine as he saw them as Russian states rather than independent ones, Russia is now set to extend their waters at any costs necessary.
Moscow is believed to be to gearing up to steal the inland sea waters in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland as well as near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenodradsk in the Kaliningrad region.
Russia intends to take the land of Sommers, Jahi, Rodsher, Malyi Tyuters, Vigrund, and Gogland.
As well as the north cape of the Narva River near the state border with Finland.
With Putin also intending to unilaterally redesign global sea maps near the Curonian Spit – between Lithuania and Russia – and the Vistula Spit – between Poland and Russia.
The Taran Cape is thought to be the final area Russia is looking to take without consequences.
The dozen of ruthless grabs could quickly lead to a disastrous escalation of conflict with Nato over the disputed rulers of the territorial waters.
Russia could be set to steal the regions to deploy navy forces to train them up despite Nato countries already having forces out on the waters.
If Russia takes control and seals off the Baltic Sea, it would have an enormous impact on our lives
Micael Byden
The Russian defence ministry has made sensational claims calling the current maritime map used by everyone as outdated and incorrect.
They have said it is based on geographic coordinates made in 1985 which now “do not fully correspond to the current geographic situation” due to the break up of the Soviet Union.
Moscow are now said to be calling the maritime borders “invalid” despite the decades-old agreement by the Soviet Cabinet who regulated the borders in the Baltic Sea region.
The Moscow remarks were published as part of a report this morning that has since been deleted as panic set in across Europe.
Finland – one of the main targets of the latest Russian revolution -has been seen as a Kremlin must-have for some time as it was feared the Finnish Border Guard crossing could become a flashpoint if war-mad Putin attacks the West.
Given its geographical location and the fact that forces from the Western alliance could be stationed at the crossing at any time -Arctic bases could become a Kremlin target.
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The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry told BILD that Russia’s actions are a “conscious, targeted, escalating provocation to intimidate neighboring countries”.
Sweden also made a stand against Putin’s plans as commander-in-chief of the Swedish armed forces, Micael Byden said: “Putin’s goal is to gain control of the Baltic Sea.
“If Russia takes control and seals off the Baltic Sea, it would have an enormous impact on our lives – in Sweden and all other Baltic Sea states.
“We can not permit that.”
He continued, talking about the region of Gotland that sits just off the coast of Sweden saying that is thought to be the next area on Putin’s hitlist if he gets his way.
Gotland is seen as a strategic must have as whoever owns it “controls the Baltic Sea”, claims Byden.
Expert analysis on the ‘sea grab’
By The Sun’s Defence Editor Jerome Starkey
Russia has been accused of a land grab or rather a sea grab after its Ministry of Defence published a proposal to unilaterally redraw its maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Gulf of Finland and around its Kaliningrad enclave.
The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that the charts and maps which designate where Russian territory and its neighbours territories start and end were inaccurate and that Moscow has decided to redraw them now.
This has prompted suggestions from Lithuania of a blatant escalation from others in the Baltic as an absurd notion.
The Finns insisting that they will react calmly and in a measured fashion once all the facts are in.
The publication of the Russian document caused panic and alarm across the region early this morning because it appeared to be a unilateral attempt by Russia to effectively grab territory from its neighbours.
Given the current context of a conflict in Ukraine, where Russia is similarly unilaterally grabbing territory by force, the prospect of Russia trying to actually grab territory through a sort of bureaucratic mechanism by decree saying that this territory in the sea is now ours caused huge alarm.
This would be taking territory from NATO countries and to do so could have been construed potentially as an Article five breach with a collective defence response from the 32 members of NATO.
Now what has happened over the course of today is that that document has been deleted without explanation by the Russian government.
Whether or not this was a mistake or whether this was a sort of deliberately deniable grey zone attempt for Russia to muddy the waters or spread concern, alarm or confusion, it’s not clear.
But it certainly has spread concern, confusion and alarm.
The document has since been deleted with no official explanation coming from Moscow just yet.
It sits in a prime location between Europe’s Nato allies and Russia’s Kaliningrad enclave and offers huge advantages in the deployment and control of air and sea traffic in the Baltic Sea.
Finland and Nato are all yet to respond to the Russian move.
Earlier this year, Putin was said to be on the verge of attempting another land grab in a breakaway region of Moldova.
The Russian-controlled enclave of Transnistria, that’s sharing a border with Ukraine begged Moscow for help against “pressure” from Chișinău.
Russia’s waging war against Nato
In recent months, the arguments and threats from Russia towards Nato allies have soared – reaching nuclear levels.
Just weeks ago, Putin ordered tactical nuclear weapons testing as Russia directly warned the West to back-off after he was angered by several statement by Nato.
The Kremlin told Western officials if they continue to support Ukraine then a “worldwide catastrophe” will break out at the hands of Russian nukes.
France also promised to deploy troops to Ukraine is Russia breaks through the frontline as UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Ukraine has the right to attack Moscow in retaliation.
Talk of a nuclear war really increased after Nato and Russia both started to move their nuclear arsenals across Europe.
Poland announced it would be ready to host nuclear weapons on their Nato border with Russia.
President Andrzej Duda said his country will take up nuclear arms if they are asked to by Nato as they look for somewhere to deploy weapons and respond to the latest chilling Putin threats.
Poland sits in a crucial position in terms of the ongoing war in Ukraine with the Nato nation sharing a border with Belarus and the Russian military playground of Kaliningrad.
Ukraine has always been reassured they have Poland’s full support if ever needed due to their position.
The tyrant and his Kremlin cronies started to reinforce their armoury in Belarus and Kaliningrad recently, stocking up on their worrying warfare.
Putin’s nuclear threats
BELOW is a timeline of some of the thinly veiled, and more cutthroat threats Vladimir Putin has made against the West with his nuclear arsenal in the past three years…
FEBRUARY 24, 2022 – Vladimir Putin: “No matter who tries to stand in our way or all the more so create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history.”
MARCH 26, 2022 – Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev: “We have a special document on nuclear deterrence. This document clearly indicates the grounds on which the Russian Federation is entitled to use nuclear weapons. … [This includes] when an act of aggression is committed against Russia and its allies.”
APRIL 20, 2022 – Vladimir Putin: “[The new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads] will force all who are trying to threaten our country in the heat of frenzied, aggressive rhetoric to think twice.”
FEBRUARY 18, 2024: Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev: “Attempts to return Russia to the borders of 1991 will lead to only one thing. Towards a global war with Western countries using the entire strategic arsenal of our state.”
FEBRUARY 29, 2024 – Vladimir Putin: “They must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory… All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?”
MARCH 13, 2024 – Vladimir Putin: “From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready. Weapons exist in order to use them. We have our own principles.”
MAY 10, 2024 – Putin appoints ‘Professor Doomsday’ Sergei Karaganov to his government who thinks the West should be nuked as soon as possible
It comes as a former US ambassador told The Sun Putin is deadly serious about “confronting the West” – and the use of nuclear weapons should not be ruled out.
Frank G. Wisner, who served under President Bill Clinton, lashed out at Vlad and described the Russian tyrant as “extraordinarily reckless”.
Recently the grieving widow of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s number one foe, claimed “unpredictable” Putin was ready to use nuclear weapons.
Military experts also warned that the Russian tyrant would “sacrifice everything”, and could even launch a nuclear weapon into orbit if he felt his iron grip was slipping.
But if things swing in Ukraine’s favour, it’s feared erratic Vlad could hit the nuclear button and spark the beginning of WW3.
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