NATO countries may be considering the possibility of opening a second front against Russia, political analyst Yury Baranchik said.

In his assessment, Ukrainian drone attacks carried out through Poland and the Baltic states against Russian oil terminals in Ust-Luga and Primorsk, as well as areas near Saint Petersburg, indicate that the West allows for the potential formation of a Baltic front.

Baranchik also said NATO military exercises near the borders of the Kaliningrad Region should be viewed as a signal to Moscow.

According to the analyst, the drills are meant to suggest that Russia should not escalate the situation on the Baltic coast and should limit its focus to Ukraine. He said the message being sent is that NATO is ready and could immediately move to block the Suwalki Corridor.

Baranchik believes that if such a conflict were to break out, Russia would have to respond immediately with tactical nuclear weapons. In his view, such a step would be capable of pushing NATO toward negotiations.

On June 17, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Denmark would deploy an 850-strong battalion in the Baltic Sea this coming autumn. He specified that the purpose of the move was to «deter» Russia.