As Putin drags out peace talks with the US and Ukraine, an intelligence boss has warned Mad Vlad could start WW3 in a matter of months
11:57, 20 Dec 2025Updated 12:12, 20 Dec 2025
A shocking new forecast has revealed how dictator Vladimir Putin could launch World War Three in little over a year.
A Ukrainian military intelligence chief has claimed to have inside knowledge of chilling Russian battle plans that could devastate the world. Lt-Gen Kyrylo Budanov alleged that evil Putin intends to occupy three NATO and EU states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2027. The Ukrainian intelligence boss added that the Russian despot also has plans to allegedly attack Poland - striking the country, but not immediately intending to invade it.
This comes amid the increasingly long and painful talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia to bring an end to Putin's devastating illegal invasion.
Budanov, whose forces are behind many Ukrainian strikes on Putin territory, warned: "According to the main plan, the Russian Federation was supposed to be ready to start operations in 2030. Now the plans have been adjusted, revised towards reducing the deadlines to 2027."
Russian military action to invade or strike NATO countries would trigger the alliance's Article 5 stating that an attack on one member is an attack on all, obligating others to assist, potentially with armed force, to restore security. In this case it would be seen as the trigger for full scale war.
Budanov claimed Putin saw Russia as an "empire" which needed to expand, with the country's "worldview" afflicted by "deep historical and psychological traumas", presumably including the fall of the USSR.
The intelligence chief added: "In order for an empire - and they see themselves as an empire - to develop, you always have to move somewhere to expand your influence and territory."
On other sides, Putin was hemmed in by the US in the Pacific, and elsewhere by China and the Arctic. "Only the West remains," he said, saying Putin constantly portrayed Europe as "hungry", "sick", "weak" and "indecisive".
The three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, all ex-Soviet republics - would come "under occupation", according to the alleged battle plans. He added: "Poland is now, according to the plans that we know, considered purely for strikes, for a military campaign without capture."
Putin refused to rule out new military action when he was asked about it by the BBC at his annual Q&A on Friday. His stipulation was that West should bow to his demands.
He growled: "There will be no operations if you treat us with respect, if you take our interests into account, just as we always tried to respect yours. And if you do not deceive us, as it happened with NATO's eastward expansion."
The dictator claimed Western leaders "created this situation themselves and continue fanning the flames by saying they are preparing for war with Russia".