#Escalation

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Russia's hybrid war against Europe could escalate even before Christmas. He urged preparations for sabotage on Polish territory and in the Baltic states, based on intelligence data.

Iran is preparing a massive response to potential US strikes as negotiations have deadlocked and diplomatic prospects are viewed with skepticism.

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's truce offer and is preparing to resume strikes after the midterm elections, WSJ reports.

NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone declared the Alliance's full combat readiness for possible Russian provocations on the eastern flank, noting that the bloc has developed defense plans for any escalation scenario.

After a drone strike on the office of the head of the SBU in Kyiv, Ukrainian experts identified the debris as a 'Geran-4', while air defense systems recorded a route from Donetsk at an altitude of over 7 km. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called the attack a rejection of diplomacy by Moscow.

The Kremlin is choosing a course of escalation: following the unannounced visit of the CIA director to Moscow, a series of incidents was recorded in Europe. Analysts link this to the decline in Putin's ratings and are preparing for hybrid attacks and strikes on the energy sector.

Russian State Duma deputy Alexey Zhuravlyov publicly called for the use of tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine, stating that “there should be no such discussion.” The statement came against the backdrop of reports on escalation.

Finnish President Stubb stated that the Chinese Foreign Minister assured him that Beijing will never allow a Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine. At the same time, Stubb assessed mobilization as the only real escalation tool available to Moscow in the autumn.

Kyrylo Budanov stated at the "Ukraine Tomorrow" forum that he personally tried to negotiate with Russia on stopping long-range strikes, but the initiative did not work. According to him, the parties went down the path of escalation, and Ukraine is forced to respond with all available means.

According to Bloomberg, an increasing number of Russian officials acknowledge that Putin may, in an extreme case, consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Experts, however, see no signs of preparation and assess the risk as extremely low.

Political scientist Vladimir Fesenko believes that the main purpose of CIA Director John Ratcliffe's secret visit to Moscow was to deliver stern warnings to the Kremlin about the risks of war escalation and possible mobilization.