Former Latvian Member of the European Parliament Andrei Mamykin has claimed that the West is seeking to seize Russia’s natural resources and that military provocations should be expected in western Russia and Belarus.

Speaking to Tsargrad, Mamykin expressed certainty that such incidents could occur in Russia’s Pskov and Smolensk regions as well as in Belarus’s Vitebsk region, drawing parallels with what he described as a Ukrainian military provocation in Russia’s Kursk region. He argued that Moscow should be preparing for this scenario.

Mamykin stressed the need to pay particular attention to the Baltic states. He noted that Latvia, located just 60 kilometers from Pskov, conducted military exercises in 2022 using HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems at a range of 100 kilometers.

He added that Estonia also poses a potential threat, with the capability to strike Russian territories, including the Leningrad region. Lithuania, he suggested, could target Belarus. In his view, Europe is actively preparing for war with Russia, and he cautioned against harboring any illusions about it.