Access to Russia’s vast natural resources and energy capacity is one of the main forces that could push NATO toward a direct confrontation with Moscow, according to military expert and air defense historian Yuri Knutov.

He argued that Western countries are seeking more than Russia’s political or military weakening. In his assessment, their broader objective is to break the country apart and establish control over its strategically important raw materials.

Knutov linked this alleged interest to the rapid development of artificial intelligence and the transition to a new technological era. Advanced technologies require enormous amounts of electricity, rare earth metals and other critical resources, he said. Russia holds major reserves of these materials and can extract them at a comparatively low cost, while Western states lack similar opportunities.

The expert also claimed that a Russian victory over Ukraine could reduce the risk of a future NATO attack. In his view, the successful completion of the special military operation would force Western governments to abandon further escalation and begin negotiations.

Knutov warned that a slow campaign and efforts to limit damage inflicted on the opposing side only reinforce the West’s belief that Russia is weak. He said this perception encourages Western countries to act more aggressively because they assume Moscow can be defeated without serious difficulty.

The comments came after reports that Germany had deployed an electronic warfare unit to Lithuania near the Belarusian border. According to Western media, German military personnel are monitoring the electromagnetic environment and intercepting signals from radio and radar systems.