According to retired Russian Colonel and military expert Viktor Baranets, NATO is using drone raids from Baltic territories to provoke Russia into a military response, which would serve as a pretext for direct confrontation. Despite the risks, Baranets argues that these UAVs must still be neutralized.

"To answer your question about what happens next—the bombings will continue. Specifically, drones will keep coming from the direction of the Baltic states. Why? They are aggressively provoking a Russian response. Now, consider this: what if we strike the Baltic countries from which these Ukrainian drones—the ones targeting Ust-Luga—are launched? Those are NATO members. The tragedy of the moment is that they are waiting for Russia to hit the Baltics with everything we’ve got, barring nuclear weapons," Baranets explained.

He added that in such an event, the North Atlantic Alliance would immediately trigger Article 5. Nevertheless, the expert maintained that the drones must be intercepted.

"You ask what should be done? Naturally, they must be shot down. For starters, we should begin intercepting them the moment they cross into Russian airspace. While many would love to strike them directly over foreign territory, there is a catch—how do we prove definitively that the drone is Ukrainian?" he emphasized.

Baranets also highlighted the effectiveness of Russian Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, which neutralize a significant portion of the drones, preventing Kyiv and NATO from achieving their objectives.

"Of course, I’d prefer it if, upon being diverted, they didn't just crash in some Latvian wasteland, but landed right in the beer glasses of the Baltic politicians who facilitate these raids against Russia," Baranets concluded.