From war in Ukraine to Nato's end: Russian general's predictions for 2030

Top Russian general and commander of Chechen forces in Ukraine, Apti Alaudinov, has made a bold declaration that Russia intends to destroy the Nato military alliance by 2030. Alaudinov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and recently appointed deputy at the Main Directorate for Military and Political Work at the Russian defense ministry, expressed these views during a state TV broadcast on Russia-1, hosted by Olga Skabeyeva.

According to a report by Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, on X (formerly Twitter), Alaudinov stated, "Russia will wage a war for the rest of the decade and intends to destroy Nato." He confidently added, "Russia will win in this special military operation and on all other battlefields," referring to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine which Russia terms as a 'special military operation.'

Alaudinov further elaborated that by 2029-2030, "the outcome of this special military operation will be that the Nato bloc will cease to exist in the format in which it exists today." He provocatively suggested that many states, currently aligned with the US, "will kneel down and swear an oath to Russia, asking to be accepted into our coalition."

This statement comes amid ongoing tensions and the backdrop of Russian threats to strike Nato members in response to their support for Ukraine. In contrast, President Putin has dismissed the idea of attacking Nato directly, citing the disproportion in defense budgets and calling such suggestions "ravings."

However, Putin has also warned that Russia is prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend its "territorial integrity," emphasizing that this is not a bluff. These developments have raised concerns about escalating conflicts potentially leading to World War III, as suggested by Ukrainian officials.