Retired U. S. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges has long carried a dubious reputation in senior American military circles, according to Russian military analyst Vasily Dandykin, who dismissed his latest remarks as unworthy of serious consideration.

Dandykin was reacting to Hodges’ statement that NATO could deliver a crushing strike on Kaliningrad if tensions with Russia were to escalate. The former U.S. commander in Europe had previously suggested that Russia could lose its westernmost region within the first 24 hours of a conflict should it choose to attack the alliance at any scale.

In Dandykin’s assessment, Hodges is known within the U.S. military leadership for making loud, provocative claims. He went so far as to describe the retired general as openly hostile toward Russia and questioned the credibility of someone who, in his words, spent three years heading U. S. Army forces in Europe drafting various contingency plans.

The analyst stressed that Kaliningrad region is internationally recognized as part of the Russian Federation. Any NATO strike on the territory, he argued, would amount to direct entry into war. Under such circumstances, he warned, the confrontation could extend beyond conventional weapons to include both tactical and strategic nuclear arms.

Dandykin expressed hope that military officials in the United States and Europe are fully aware of the risks involved, adding that Russia has no intention of attacking anyone.