These would be Putin's first targets in hypothetical World War 3, Russian politician speculates

The war in Ukraine has been, so far, a contained conflict. Nobody could predict what would happen if China, the European Union or the United States got involved. However, some people have speculated what would be Russia's priorities in case if it aimed towards Berlin, London or Washington, D.C.

You might never have heard of Russian lawmaker Andrey Gurulyov. However, the retired general, who currently serves as a deputy in the Russian legislature, claims Russia is arming up for a “big colossal war”.

On July 24, 2024, Gurulyov spoke on the state-run channel Russia-1 about what would be Putin’s targets in the case of a new World War.

Image: Russia-1

Sky News highlighted that Gurulyov, a deputy of the State Duma and member of the legislature’s defense committee, speculated this global conflict might result from the escalation of a blockade on Kaliningrad.

Image: German soldiers participating in NATO exercises in May 2022.

Kaliningrad is a Russian port enclave in the Baltic, between the NATO countries of Poland and Lithuania. This makes communications and supply a tricky matter, to say the least.

Image: Aleksey Malinovski / Unsplash

Experts wondered if Russia should try to create a corridor, dubbed the Suvalkovsky Corridor, to connect Kaliningrad with the rest of the country.

The retired general, according to The Sun, argued that this was a trap that would surround Russian troops with enemy armies. However, actions should be taken if NATO blockades Kaliningrad.

Image: Russia-1

The first logical step, according to Gurulyov, would be disabling the enemy’s satellite system.

“No one would care if they are American or British. We would see them all as NATO”, comments Gurulyov, as quoted by The Daily Mail.

Secondly, mitigate the enemy’s anti-missile system “everywhere and 100%”, added Gurulyov.

“We certainly wouldn’t start with Paris, Warsaw or Berlin”, said Gurulyov to the reporters of Russia-1. “The first hit would be London. It's crystal clear that the threat to the world comes from the Anglo-Saxons”.

“As part of the operation to destroy critically important sites, Western Europe will be cut off from power supplies and immobilized”, declared the former military officer. The Sun points out that, like many other Russian hardliners, Gurulyov believes the European Union is too soft to engage in an actual war.

Gurulyov speculated on how the United States would manage to keep Europe fighting without food or power and how long Washington, D.C. would manage to avoid conflict.

“This is the rough plan”, Gurulyov declared, adding that “I deliberately leave out certain moments because they are not to be discussed on TV”.

Image: Russia-1

In another TV program, the retired general enumerated the possible countries that Russia might be forced to engage next: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

Keep in mind that although Gurulyov serves as a deputy in the State Duma (pictured) and is part of the legislature’s defense committee, as The Daily Mail highlights, he no longer is an active member of the military. His statements should be taken with a grain of salt.

However, his closeness with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle earned him sanctions from the United States. So there’s much to speculate about how much Andrey Gurulyov knows and how much he wants us to believe.