Russia could test Nato in weeks, US intelligence warns

Sarah Hooper | Live News Reporter Published August 7, 2026 9:09am Updated August 7, 2026 9:10am A new intelligence report suggests an attack could come soon (Picture: Getty) Vladimir Putin could soon orchestrate a provocation of NATO as early as this autumn, in a bid to get a minor ‘victory’ as troops fail in Ukraine. US intelligence reports have raised new concerns that Russia could provoke a NATO nation with an attack this fall, according to the Wall Street Journal. Officials initially believed an attack wouldn’t happen because Russia is preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, but Putin isn’t happy with how the war is going. Lithuania’s defence minister echoed these concerns, saying: ‘The Kremlin, Putin, needs a new escalation, some kind of new victory, and in this case the Baltic region an