Kasparov warns Putin may test NATO with Baltic border town seizure

Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion and Russian opposition activist, told Politico that President Vladimir Putin has no intention to negotiate peace with Ukraine and is likely to intensify the war after Russia’s September parliamentary elections. Kasparov said the most natural form of escalation for Putin is a provocation and warned that Russia could test NATO by briefly occupying a small border town in a Baltic NATO member such as Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania, especially one with a Russian‑speaking population, to gauge the alliance’s response, notably that of the United States. He pointed to recent Russian legislative proposals that would remove the medical‑exam requirement for military mobilisation as evidence of preparation for further conflict. Kasparov concluded that “all signs point in one direction: war, war, war, war.” He called for tougher EU sanctions, a ban on Russian tourist visas and a programme to help educated Russians leave the country.