Joe Biden gets his conclusion right this time. The problem is, how do we stop Putin without total war? How far do we go up the escalation ladder to stop the creation of a new Soviet Union? Experts weigh in.

By silencing foreign news reporting, independent outlets and social media, President Vladimir Putin has moved Russia closer to the stultifying orthodoxy of the Soviet Union, experts say. https://t.co/TGbzbvyG1E

— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 7, 2022

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FNC: “I’ve read most of everything he’s written,’ President Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. ‘He has much larger ambitions in Ukraine. He wants to, in fact, reestablish the former Soviet Union. That’s what this is about.’

Many experts believe that Biden is right. In an often cited and perhaps highly revealing comment years ago, Putin said that he believed the fall of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century.

Putin currently has his hands full with a stronger-than-expected resistance to his war on Ukraine – including at home – though his massive military is expected to eventually prevail. Most believe, however, that it’s not a matter of if, but rather when and where, the Russian president begins pressuring, coercing or attacking other countries as he tries to reconstitute something akin to the Soviet Union.”

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“The Baltics are vulnerable, but a direct Russian military strike against NATO countries seems unlikely for now,” Professor Donna Bahry told press. “That doesn’t rule out Russian efforts such as cyberattacks and other covert actions. In fact, all three Baltic countries have experienced cyberattacks from Russia for some years.”

Former Defense Intelligence Agency officer Rebekah Koffler also told media that Putin may strike the Baltics with “non-kinetic actions” that would include cyberattacks and electronic warfare, “any kind of destabilization like covert ops,” or even staging a protest…He is not gonna go with military operations or any kind of kinetic action against any NATO country such as the Baltics,” she said. “But as the conflict escalates, and especially if he’s on the losing side, I fully expect him to ratchet up non-kinetic actions.”

R Street Institute Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats Director Tatyana Bolton said, “This could take months or years, but I think that’s exactly what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to take one piece at a time to reassemble what he believes was the greatest country in the world.”