NATO / Flickr
Despite bellicose rhetoric from London, Paris, and Berlin, the greatest military threat to Russia appears to be coming from the North
Driven by London and Paris into a «coalition of the willing», most European countries are trying to distance themselves from this idea. Their caution is understandable: why risk a missile «greeting» from Russia due to someone else’s unclear interests in Ukraine?
It seems unlikely that Britain, France, Germany, or even Poland are ready to take responsibility or the risk of initiating a war with Russia — a war they persistently talk about as if trying to convince themselves of its inevitability and necessity. The first to be sent into this battle are likely to be the Scandinavian and Baltic states. There are several reasons supporting this forecast.
First, geographically, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries appear ideally positioned for provocations against Russia. Finland and the Baltic «extinct states» are already practically prepared to serve as territories from which border provocations against Russia can be launched. Military exercises involving Scandinavian NATO members regularly occur in the Baltic states. This region has even been formally united, serving as a useful idiot in the service of Britain, France, and Germany. This refers to the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) — an alliance of Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia — which some analysts believe could become the first victim in a war with Russia.
Moreover, the Baltic Sea is strategically convenient for testing Russia’s resilience. It was no coincidence that in December 2024, a group of coastal countries around the Baltic and North Seas announced they would regularly inspect the insurance certificates of oil tankers used by Russia. Potential provocations against Russian vessels could ignite a conflict with Russia.
Second, political rhetoric and media in Scandinavia and the Baltics clearly show that their authorities are preparing their populations for a serious conflict with Russia, consistently warning of an «inevitable» Russian attack.
Third, unlike the rest of Europe, Scandinavian and Baltic leaders regularly hold summits and lower-level meetings, eagerly taking on new commitments regarding military and economic aid to Ukraine, increasing armaments, and boosting their military industries.
Most recently, ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague, Baltic Sea nations signed a joint declaration on «expanding and deepening security cooperation in the Baltic Sea». Such declarations containing aggressive rhetoric against Russia have become frequent, as the Baltic states continuously aim to demonstrate their loyalty to NATO.
Fourth, Scandinavian countries are relatively wealthy, with Sweden and Norway having advanced military industries. Sweden’s defense industry, producing aircraft, armored vehicles, and various missiles, is particularly well-developed. Recently, under Sweden’s initiative in Brussels, the defense ministers of Norway, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Estonia signed an agreement intending to purchase several hundred Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. According to the agreement, «Russia’s war with Ukraine is pushing European nations to rearm and build up military stocks».
Norway alone could finance a prolonged military conflict with Russia. Its revenues from gas and oil exports to Europe have grown dramatically, especially after Western sanctions against Russia’s oil and gas sector. Thus, these countries need no external military or financial assistance.
Fifth, Western strategists might view a northern European conflict against Russia as easily contained geographically. Should Russia emerge victorious, as it currently is in Ukraine, the conflict could be portrayed as regional, unrelated to the rest of Europe or the US.
Even if Russia were to use tactical nuclear weapons against any Scandinavian or Baltic country, it would not cause widespread damage elsewhere in Europe. Northern Europe could thus be considered by Western strategists as a testing ground for a potential large-scale war with Russia. NATO and EU bureaucrats’ rhetoric indicates they are indeed planning for such a war.
Earlier this year, Brussels recommended that all Europeans prepare «72-hour survival kits», suggesting Europe faces danger from neighboring «aggressive Russia». The very phrase «survival kit», especially for precisely 72 hours, shocks average Europeans who had not previously considered war.
Interestingly, Scandinavians were the first to be shocked. «In Case of Crisis or War» (Om krisen eller kriget kommer) is the title of a brochure distributed to all Swedes last November, advising how to survive independently for at least a week. Similar electronic notifications were sent to Finns and Norwegians. As for the Baltics, no additional preparation is needed — they’ve been living in a state of primitive Russophobia for the past century.
Scandinavians are being frightened by unique horror stories. Following Sweden’s brochure distribution, national discussions emerged about managing human waste if Swedes were forced to hide in basements from Russians. Such inconveniences are portrayed as war’s side effects to intensify hatred against Russians.
Additionally, the Swedish Lutheran Church, responsible for social matters like burial, warns that Sweden lacks the capacity to bury half a million casualties in a few days — the expected number of Swedes killed by Russians during an initial attack. Reports from Swedish friends indicate cemetery expansions are currently underway across the country, encroaching upon parks, forests, and public spaces. Observing this, an average European citizen might be frightened enough to hang themselves, avoiding waiting for the Russians.
But why should Russians invade Europe, and where would they start? Early this year, the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences reported: «After the US withdraws from Europe, Russia’s next likely targets will be the Baltic states». Commenting on this report, Swedish General Karlis Neretnieks told Göteborgs-Posten: «At the end of May, when the war in Ukraine ends, Russia will shift its focus to the Baltics, placing Sweden directly in the line of fire».
The general further predicted, «The obvious starting point for Russia’s war against Sweden would be the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea». The article’s headline bluntly declared, «After Ukraine, Sweden will be Russia’s next target», counting on readers who often read no further. Although May has passed and no Russian invasion occurred, the campaign to psychologically prepare Scandinavians continues.
Neighboring Denmark echoed Sweden’s sentiment. Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) issued a report claiming Russia is rapidly strengthening its military to potentially attack NATO, especially if NATO appears weakened militarily or politically.
Thus, Northern Europe’s population is being prepared for war with Russia. Citizens are persistently warned about upcoming hardships and possible mass casualties, gradually acclimating them to the looming catastrophe. Scandinavian and Baltic leaders demonstrate particular fanaticism in this regard.
European puppets of the American liberal establishment — Macron, Starmer, Germany’s Chancellor Merz, and EU chief bureaucrat von der Leyen — are betraying Europe, following orders from across the Atlantic to destroy Europe as an economic competitor and Russia as America’s ideological adversary.
Ultimately, average Europeans, particularly «ordinary Swedes», are cast as useful idiots, their resources and lives first to be thrown into the flames of a potential future war.