Volodymyr Zelenskyj warns that Russia may invade a Natoland already this summer.
He believes that Poland and Lithuania are in the danger zone.
– I personally am a little hesitant that Russia would have the ability to resume a new offensive this summer, says Lieutenant Colonel Jörgen Elfving to TV4 News.
Ukraine President Zelenskyj made the statement to US NBC News and referred to domestic intelligence that claims that the Russians are in the process of building forces in the neighboring country Belarus.
They will do joint exercises and about 150,000 Russian soldiers are said to be in the country.
– That statement must stand for him. It is the only information currently available about a possible Russian further attack in a western direction in the near future, says Jörgen Elfving, Lieutenant Colonel, to TV4 News.
Don’t believe in summer attacks
He emphasizes that other assessors who talk about such a feature from the Russian side stay within a time frame of everything from a couple of years up to five years.
He doubts about the Russians could resume a new offensive and open a new front already this summer.
– The Russian armed forces are in any case in terms of soil combat forces, the air approach and the marine infantry are quite infamous. Restoring those bandages so that you have the ability to carry out a larger attack … It takes time and you hardly learn that for the summer, says Lieutenant Colonel.
Jörgen Elfving
Jörgen Elfving
Photo: Caisa Rasmussen / TT
Estonia possible goals
Zelenskyj raises Lithuania and Poland – two countries that are usually mentioned in this type of context – as possible targets for Vladimir Putin.
Jörgen Elfving raises Moldova as a better suited alternative from a Russian point of view as that country does not belong to the EU or NATO.
– And if you look at the Baltic States, I’m not sure that Lithuania would be a first -goal for a Russian attack. One would think that it is Estonia that is at the top of the list given that the Gulf of Finland is now a NATO inner sea.
-It is an output for Russian fleet forces and other things from the Saint Petersburg area. This is something that Russia has strived to ensure throughout history. So one would ensure the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, so you have partly reached this goal.