Russian fear-mongering stokes fears of military escalation
Semafor ·
Officials, led by Ukraine’s president, warned that Russia appeared to be readying military escalation against Kyiv and Europe more broadly.
Officials, led by Ukraine’s president, warned that Russia appeared to be readying military escalation against Kyiv and Europe more broadly.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that his country intercepted communications suggesting the Kremlin was loosening its rules of war to allow for greater targeting of civilian sites, adding that he expected Moscow to intensify strikes against Ukraine’s biggest cities.
NATO officials, meanwhile, voiced alarm over Russia’s threat to use its nuclear arsenal to respond to what it said were plans to isolate the enclave of Kaliningrad; European leaders insisted there were no such proposals.
“Russia seems to be laying the groundwork for a false flag or maybe just returning to its fear-mongering playbook,” a veteran Kremlin-watcher wrote. “ Either way, it’s important .”