Russia is reportedly capable of launching (Image: Getty)
Vladimir Putin could be planning to carry out “mass casualty attacks” on NATO members including the UK and the US, a Russian expert has warned.
“Acts of air terror” targeting airlines could be among the avenues chosen to retaliate against the military alliance for its support of , Keir Giles, a leading expert on at Chatham House said.
The warning is unlikely to dispel fears of World War 3 erupting between and European nations, with outspoken MP Aleksey Zhuravlyov also fanning the flames by claiming that the country earlier this week.
The Kremlin’s suspected involvement in could be “reconnaissance and probing for a future more serious combination of attacks across Europe”, Mr Giles told Newsweek.
The US and UK’s relaxation of restrictions on ’s use of supplied long-range missiles to fight Russian troops could be a turning point for the country’s retaliation towards NATO members.
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Retaliation could be spurred by the use of new US and UK-owned long range missiles in Ukraine (Image: Getty)
“The key point we should bear in mind [is] that none of the restraints that any normal country would take for granted apply to ,” the expert said. “They’ve already demonstrated the recklessness that leads us to say they are plainly not ruling out mass casualty attacks.”
The war in has also shown that Putin is “not constrained by the thought of large numbers of innocent victims,” he added.
However, a great deal could depend on how president-elect handles the – conflict after taking office next week.
A more Putin-friendly approach could dampen Russian antagonisation while a hardline policy will likely to see the retributive campaign extended to North America.
It comes after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said was during a press conference this week.
“All I can say, and I will not go into details, but I can confirm the validity of these fears,” he said, without elaborating on the bombshell accusation.
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Russian retaliation against NATO could depend on incoming US President Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
was accused of a series of attacks abroad last year, including shooting down a passenger plane in Azerbaijani and in the Baltic Sea.
Poland has also accused and ally Belarus of escalating a migration crisis on the EU’s Belarusian border to sow chaos and division in the alliance.
The Kremlin has dismissed previous claims that has been involved in acts of sabotage and attacks in Europe, however.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Mr Tusk’s accusation was “completely unsubstantiated” and suggested that Poland was “well known for such unsubstantiated accusations”.