Putin’s next move will be Baltic incursion, warns top Russian dissident – POLITICO

Vladimir Putin has no intention of striking a peace deal with Ukraine and is more likely to instead escalate his war after Moscow’s parliamentary election in September, according to Russian opposition activist Garry Kasparov.

The dissident’s warning comes as Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian military logistics and energy infrastructure, a push that Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said has made Russia “weaker” — and Kyiv hopes could give it the upper hand at the negotiating table.

Yet Kasparov argues that mounting pressure makes Putin more likely to escalate than compromise, and that any settlement short of a Russian defeat would merely give Moscow time to regroup.