Anakonda 16
British paratroopers jump from a C-130 Hercules plane during the NATO allies' Anakonda 16 exercise near Torun, Poland, June 7, 2016. Reuters/Kacper Pempel

NATO just warned that the Russian warships cruising near the North Sea is part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to end the civil war in Syria and declare victory for himself and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Within two weeks they foresee Moscow launching a massive assault in the run up to the deciding battle or the proxy war between the US and Russia.

The fear of a World War III is shared by at least one Russian official. Sergei Markov, member of the Civic Chamber – a government oversight and consultative body in Moscow – says the tension between the two superpowers are so heightened, easily triggering a major military altercation. The imminent global war made Markov stock 200 cans of pork in preparation for a potential war crisis. He advises everybody to also brace for a global war, Inquisitr reports.

Russia, which has conducted hundreds of military drills in the past five years, blames the alleged aggressive action by the US and the NATO which has positioned missile defence systems in eastern Europe and boosted troop strength along the western border of Russia. Moscow is also bristling from economic sanctions imposed by the US since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

Anakonda 2016
Poland's 6th Airborne Brigade soldiers walk with U.S. 82nd Airborne Division soldiers during the NATO allies' Anakonda 16 exercise near Torun, Poland, June 7, 2016. Reuters/Kacper Pempel

In June, the 10-day Anakonda 2016, the largest war game in the region, had over 31,000 participants from 24 countries gather in Poland in a display of strength. Russia’s military also announced plans for over 2,000 air, sea and land exercises over summer, which includes large-scale manoeuvres and anti-terror drills while NATO is also carrying out its own exercises in the region, Express reports.

Dailystar reports that Russians have been warned to prepare for war as Kremlin hosted nuclear attack drills for 40 million people. A NATO diplomat says the deployment of the Northern fleet and much of the Baltic fleet is the largest surface deployment since the Cold War ended.

“This is not a friendly port call. In two weeks, we will see a crescendo of air attacks on Aleppo as part of Russia’s strategy to declare victory there. He adds, with the assault, it would be sufficient to allow a Russian exit strategy if Moscow believes Assad is now stable enough to survive.