The Kremlin denied the allegations. Putin began his full-scale war on Ukraine less than four months later.
Moscow has frequently pledged to protect itself by all means, including GPS jamming, and has accused NATO of being an aggressive rather than a defensive alliance.
Moscow was outraged by Finland’s April 4, 2023, NATO admission, which increased the alliance’s border with
Russia by more than 800 miles. Putin’s allies warned that using nuclear weapons would not be out of the question in the event of warfare.
Moscow now seems to have been preparing for conflict by directing the quick buildup of infrastructure on its northwest border, ostensibly in response to the NATO expansion.
