The Kremlin could order a strike against a NATO base to cut off Ukraine's supply of arms, according to a former British security chief.
Lord Peter Ricketts - the UK's first National Security Adviser - said on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "increasingly desperate" to "choke off" the supply of arms into Ukraine.
Lord Ricketts said the tyrant could halt the "flow of arms" by attacking NATO aircraft or military vehicles transporting weapons to the country.
He added the conflict is reaching an "angry stalemate" and it's likely that Moscow will retain a sizeable chunk of Ukraine.
Speaking with the BBC, he said he fears Ukraine will not agree a settlement and that the brutal conflict could continue for "years and years" as a guerilla war - leaving an "open wound in the middle of Europe".
He told the broadcaster: "I suppose what President Putin wants us all to fear is that he might want to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, which would be a momentous escalation and ensure Russia was isolated around the world.
"More likely, I think what they're looking at is some way of preventing or limiting this flow of arms into Ukraine, keeping the Ukrainian Armed Forces going.
"So we may see attacks on convoys or aircraft bringing the arms in from the west.
"At worst, possibly, some kind of missile strike on a base in NATO, where the arms for Ukraine were being prepared.
"And that will certainly pose the NATO countries with a real dilemma."
Earlier today, TASS news agency reported the Kremlin is concerned about increased activity of NATO forces in the Arctic and sees risks of "unintended incidents" occurring in the region.
In March, Finland and Sweden, which are both considering joining the U.S.-led military NATO alliance, conducted combined NATO military drills.
The exercise was long planned, but Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 added intensity to the war game. Moscow describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation".
"The recent increase in NATO's activity in the Arctic is a cause for concern. Another large-scale military exercise of the alliance was recently held in northern Norway. In our view, this does not contribute to the security of the region," Russian ambassador-at-large Nikolai Korchunov said.
According to Korchunov, such activity raises the risk of "unintended incidents", which, in addition to security risks, can also cause serious damage to the Arctic ecosystem.
He did not specify what type of incident he might be referring to.
One of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland joined NATO then Russia would deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles
in a European exclave.
