In an interview with CNN on Sunday, deported Russian oligarch Michael Kodarkovsky wrote on Business Insider that the next stage of Vladimir Putin’s war could be the invasion of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
“In his mind we should understand that Putin is at war, but not with Ukraine. He is at war with the United States and NATO,” Kodarkovsky said.
Former Oil President Kodarkovsky was considered Russia’s richest man until 2003, when Putin accused him of financial crimes and imprisoned him for nine years for political reasons. Since his release in 2013, he has become an outspoken critic of the regime of President Kremlin and Putin.
“Its propagandists have already begun to prepare the Russian community for an attack on NATO countries,” Kodarkovsky said. “The campaign seeks to prepare the Russian public opinion for escalating the conflict.”
Earlier this month, Kodarkovsky predicted that an invasion of Ukraine would end Putin’s rule. However, in his interview on Sunday, he expressed concern about the possible deterioration of the current situation.
“If Putin decides to win in Ukraine, I firmly believe that war will spread,” Kodarkovsky said. “The next steps will be the Baltic states.”
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all members of the North Atlantic Alliance. President Joe Biden had previously said that the United States would protect every inch of NATO territory by deploying U.S. troops in the region.
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