Putin Reportedly Believes He Will Be Killed If He Doesn’t Achieve War Goals: ‘They Will Hang Me’

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told allies that he could be hanged if he doesn't achieve major goals in the war against Ukraine.

"They will hang me," Putin told allies at one point during the war, according to a report by The Economist.

The outlet noted that the assessment plays a significant role in his decision to escalate the war further as Moscow fails to make significant gains in the battlefield.

Elsewhere, The Economist noted that it is not clear what the escalation could look like, but Kyiv expects drone and missile strikes to expand in the winter. Putin could also mobilize hundreds of thousands of additional troops even as life expectancy in the battlefield is less than an hour.

Russia could also escalate tensions with NATO countries, with some expressing concern about the possibility that such a scenario will take place in the near future.

Reuters detailed earlier this month that Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia have made claims of that nature. The former said Moscow is considering the stage attack and the other three warned of acts of sabotage.

"We are not naive, we see the information, we read between the lines and we are doing our homework," Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told the outlet.

"We are increasing the security of our critical infrastructure, we constantly exchange information with our intelligence on what to do next," he added.

The outlet went on to note that Lithuania sent a military unit to back up riot police and secure its liquefied natural gas import terminal, one for oil products, a key power link with Poland and a hydro plant. "We are clearly signaling that, if needed, we will be defending ourselves", Kaunas said.

Another recent report claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering a limited assault on a NATO country to test the alliance.

President Donald Trump, however, said he's not worried about that. "There is no problem," Trump said in a brief conversation with Axios last week. He went on to say that the unannounced visit from CIA Director John Ratcliffe to the country was "standard business."

"Ratcliffe sees his Russian counterpart once every six months or once every year. They have a very good relationship. There was no message and there was nothing unusual," he added.

Asked if the U.S. had delivered a warning to counterpart Vladimir Putin, Trump didn't comment but claimed Moscow is "not going to attack NATO territory."