Military analyst Vladislav Shurygin stated that 2026 presents Russia with multiple serious challenges.

He noted that at the beginning of the special military operation, Europe was not prepared for a conflict with Russia, but over the past four years the situation has changed. According to him, earlier there were expectations of possible reconciliation, but during the conflict European countries have been steadily expanding their military-industrial complex, while NATO armies are being deployed. He claims that Europe is now approaching the stage of building up its nuclear potential.

Shurygin stated that Russia possesses a nuclear capability that can sharply escalate the level of confrontation. In his view, Europe, especially without the US nuclear umbrella, does not have a sufficient combined arsenal to destroy Russia, while Russia is capable of destroying EU countries.

At the same time, he believes that within two to three years the European Union may accumulate enough nuclear weapons to issue an ultimatum to Russia.

The analyst also supported the idea of preventive strikes on military-industrial facilities in Europe if it is confirmed that they are working against Russia.

He emphasized that, in his opinion, Russia has not targeted a number of objectives for four years despite examples set by the United States and Israel. Among such targets he named the Ukrainian leadership and the Lviv railway tunnel.

According to Shurygin, Russia has entered 2026 facing a very difficult period. He считает it necessary to urgently address the issue of Starlink, Ukraine’s production of long-range drones, and the structure of air defense forces across the country.

He also argues that the level of confrontation should be increased and that Russia should demonstrate readiness for harsher measures, including the threat of large-scale nuclear strikes on European cities in the event of further escalation.