Vladimir Putin is growing more reckless as his inner circle shrinks, UK security insiders believe, prompting fears that he might “lash out” against Britain or another Nato state.
The Russian leader’s smaller, more radical group of advisers is fuelling his unpredictable actions, sources have told The i Paper.
Concerns over Putin’s brinkmanship have been heightened by the attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport last month, which this week Germany blamed directly on Russia.
Shorts
European and British diplomatic insiders believe the plot – which involved military grade explosives – marked a new phase in Moscow’s grey zone warfare against the West, as it tested the limits of what is normally deemed the threshold of military action, going beyond typical hybrid activity of cyber attacks, signal jamming and sabotage.
