Putin's infernal plan has begun to materialize

Moscow has reportedly threatened the NATO alliance on several occasions, while rebuilding and reconstructing its military, producing more weapons, and even joining forces with nations hostile to the West.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, who until the end of last year was the foreign minister of Lithuania, a member of the European Union and NATO that borders Russia, told Business Insider that Russia is probably more dangerous than it has ever been.

Keir Giles, a senior consultant in the "Chatham House" program for Russia and Eurasia, said that the Russian fighting in Ukraine does not exclude the possibility of a Russian attack elsewhere, and the consequences of this could be devastating.

He also noted that heavy troop losses, which Russia sees as cheap assets, have not deterred Russia from continuing to attack Ukraine.

The losses are huge

Many of the professional soldiers with whom Russia started this war are now gone, along with a vast amount of equipment.

Britain's defense minister said in December that the UK believed more than 750,000 Russian military personnel had been killed or wounded since Moscow launched the invasion in late February 2022.

Ukraine's estimates of Russian losses are even higher.

But...

A Business Insider states that the Russian army is far from weakened - the entire economy, it should be remembered, is on a war footing and they are working overtime on reconstruction and rearmament.

Also, as the top American general in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, said last fall, Russia has forces, such as strategic aviation and submarine forces, which the war "barely touched".

George Barros, a warfare expert at the Institute for the Study of War, said Russia "has the willingness and ability to deploy and potentially attack members of NATO's eastern flank," which includes Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Andris Spruds, Latvia's defense minister, said that this war had taught them "that even a weakened Russia is still a dangerous Russia."

There are also estimates that Russia will re-establish its military capacity in the next five years, so the Baltic countries in particular claim they must do everything to prepare for a potential blow.

It is recalled that Sweden started giving citizens a booklet advising them how to prepare for war, and its defense minister recently warned that, although Russian forces are "tied up in Ukraine," Russia "poses a threat to Sweden, as well as the rest of NATO."

He added: "We cannot rule out a Russian attack on our country."

Poland's foreign minister also said last year that he would not be surprised if Russia attacked his country.

The attacks have already begun

European officials say Russian attacks have already begun, reporting hybrid attacks such as cyberattacks, arson, assassination attempts and attacks on Russian-linked infrastructure.

"Putin is already launching attacks in Europe and testing us and pushing red lines," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Business Insider.

Barros said that Russian hybrid attacks are "acts of war that we choose not to respond to."

Unless the West sends a strong signal to Russia to stop, Landsbergis said, Russia's attacks will escalate. "With no clear consequences for actions, they are encouraged to go even further."