Expert shares exact month of when Putin might attack NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a direct strike against Europe, a New York-based humanitarian expert has warned. The chilling prediction follows an escalation last week when Russia struck the Lviv region in western Ukraine with its  nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile. Clocking speeds of 13,000 kilometers per hour, the "meteorite-like" weapon hit a critical aviation facility just 50 miles from the Polish border, entirely bypassing modern air defences.

The strike came just days after US President Donald Trump ordered a surprise military invasion of Venezuela to capture Nicolas Maduro. Analysts believe Putin chose this moment to "flex his muscles" and show the Kremlin possesses a "speed-of-light" capability that puts every European capital at risk.

Speaking on the implications, Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope For Ukraine, warned that the "security blanket" protecting the West is now fraying. He told the Express: "It [the attack] was done as a message to send to Western countries, especially to Europeans that 'you guys are next'.

"It's the right time for him to flex his muscles and to help Europeans understand that they have capabilities that no defence system is able to stop."

The Ukrainian CEO explained that he was on a call with the team in Lviv late at night when the strike occurred and, unusually, there were no air-raid sirens or advance notifications. The missile struck without warning, leaving people no time to react.

He added: "There will be war. Every time one security blanket is broken, there has to be a new formation building a world. Right now, the US is walking away from serving as a security blanket to Europe. So, European countries could be up for taking."

While the US invasion of Venezuela might "slow Putin down", Boyechko urged Europe to start preparing itself for an attack from Russia's side.

He said: "It's key right now, especially for Great Britain and the rest of the countries to really focus on their own defence, because what if the US is not going to come and help?"

While trusting that the United States would ultimately "do the right thing by Europe", Boyechko warned that before that, there could be a number of smaller-scale provocations by Russia, such as attempts to test or destabilise countries like Estonia or Latvia, as well as other parts of the Baltic region.

"Sometime in February, March this year, we might see, actual strike on Europe by Russia based on the way the escalation is going. ... It [the war] can only stay within the borders of one country for so long.

"We enter into a very dangerous time in the world altogether because it's like a Wild West now. The strongest survives."