Putin can't lose to Ukraine, so Russia's war against NATO is real – foreign and security policy expert Hara

This opinion was expressed on the Espreso TV channel

"Putin may be preparing for a war against Poland. Because losing to Ukraine, which he claims was invented by Lenin, would be a humiliation for him. But losing to the NATO bloc is not such a shame. He may well bring about a situation similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis and then seek a compromise, which is also a great way out for the Russian population. Even the fact that Wagner's troops have been redeployed to Belarus may be part of Putin's game," Hara explained.

The expert emphasized that Putin may resort to a direct confrontation with NATO because of the failures in Ukraine

"Wagner Group PMC was initially funded from the Russian budget. However, now the Kremlin can change its rhetoric and claim that there are some volunteers who can start fighting for the Suwalki corridor. That is, there may be different scenarios. Putin's inability to achieve any goals in Ukraine may push him to various absurd actions," Hara added.

• In February 2022, Putin said that Ukraine was created by Vladimir Lenin.

• On July 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Poland and Lithuania were planning to occupy Ukraine. He described the western territories of Poland as a gift from Joseph Stalin.