NATO commander warns Putin grows more reckless as Ukraine war drags on

NATO’s deputy commander in Europe, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Stringer, warned Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is becoming “increasingly cavalier, dangerous and risk accepting” as the Ukraine war continues, urging the alliance to avoid overreacting to provocations. Stringer spoke at a security conference in Tallinn, Estonia, amid European warnings that Moscow may test NATO with bolder sabotage and espionage, including potential deliberate drone strikes. He cautioned that Putin seeks to divide Western allies and provoke an “overreaction,” while covert Russian incidents have risen from 59 in March 2025 to over 210. Baltic leaders like Latvia’s Edgars Rinkevics downplayed the risk of a direct military attack, noting no border buildup, while Estonian PM Kristen Michal called Putin a “rat in the corner” escalating activity to break Western support for Kyiv. Russia’s gains remain slow with heavy losses, and attacks on infrastructure are expected to increase this winter.