Ukrainian journalist and publicist Vitaliy Portnikov is convinced that the beginning of World War III will take place according to the scenario that the world already saw in Ukraine 12 years ago. In fact, it is about Russia starting a new wave of creeping occupation against one of the NATO countries, most likely Estonia.
Points of attention
- Portnikov emphasizes the urgent need for political and security decisions to prevent a large-scale war and calls for timely intervention to avoid repeating past mistakes.
- The ongoing discussions about the possibility of World War III and the consequences of overlooking Russia's actions in Ukraine serve as a stark reminder of the crucial importance of global security and cooperation.
Russia may start World War III according to the Ukrainian scenario
As the journalist noted, the West finally began to seriously discuss the possibility of a conflict between Russia and NATO countries.
Moreover, world leaders have concluded that the risk of World War III is indeed high — it is actually a consequence of the inadequate response of Western countries to the events in Ukraine in 2014.
Then, for the first time since World War II, the Russian president went not just to occupy, but also to annex part of the territory of another state. But the leading countries of the world — the same signatories of the Budapest Memorandum — tried to pretend that nothing extraordinary had happened in Crimea.
Vitaly Portnikov
Ukrainian journalist and publicist
Such an indifferent reaction from the world literally became a license for Putin to start a war in Donbas.
However, even this failed to rouse the international community. Another telling fact is that virtually no one wanted to consider the Russian war against Ukraine as a war and occupation.
At that time, there was active talk about Donbas “separatism,” and the presence of Russian troops and special services in the region was simply ignored.
Since Putin's plan worked once, he can probably use it again.
And now the question arises: why can't Putin use this same mechanism in the Estonian city of Narva? After all, if Western capitals are faced with a dilemma — whether to believe in the "separatism" of the Russian population of Narva or to go to war with Russia — what will they choose in Washington or Brussels? We seem to know the answer. We know it from the reaction to the events in Ukraine, Portnikov emphasized.
According to him, if Russia's creeping occupation is perceived as a complex regional and national conflict, it will inspire Putin to wage a truly large-scale war.
Here is a rough forecast for World War III — with an Estonian… well, no, with a Ukrainian accent. And all because political and security conclusions need to be made on time, my friends. And really — what have we all been doing for eight years? — Portnikov asked.
