Former world chess champion and Russian opposition activist Garry Kasparov believes Finland, Poland and the Baltic states take the Russian military threat more seriously than many Western European countries.
In a video interview with Radio Svoboda, Kasparov cited the possibility of a limited Russian provocation near the Estonian city of Narva or Latvia’s Daugavpils. In his view, such a scenario is no longer purely hypothetical for countries in the region.
“In that case, they will have to fight on their own at first,” Kasparov said.
Finland, Poland and the Baltic states are all members of NATO. Kasparov argued, however, that it cannot be taken for granted that the alliance would be able to reach a joint decision quickly enough.
As a result, the countries concerned could initially have to fight without support from the wider alliance.
He said another key question would be whether Finland and the Baltic states would limit their strikes to attacking Russian forces or also target bases supporting them inside Russia.
According to Kasparov, the Russian threat is viewed fundamentally differently in Finland, the Baltic states, Poland and Scandinavia than in many Western European countries.
Kasparov also criticised Europe’s approach to the war in Ukraine. He said few European politicians state openly that Ukraine must win and Russia must lose.
He believes Russia’s objectives extend beyond Ukraine and are linked to a broader effort to reshape Europe’s security order and weaken NATO’s position in Eastern Europe.