Europe is 20 times bigger than Ukraine and that hasn't been easy for Russia. I think "will try to invade another European country" might be more believable.

"I am convinced that the next step in escalation will be a small-scale provocation against a Baltic country before the end of the year. He will do it. He just needs to show that Article 5 does not work. His goal is to prove that NATO is dead, and the best way is to display its impotence. He will try it with a limited incursion. I'm not talking about a massive invasion or attacking Poland. He knows that would end very badly for him. But a limited incursion in Estonia or Latvia is another matter."

I'm not "pro-Russia", but here is how Russia was provoked into the Ukraine war:

- NATO’s 1999 expansion into Eastern Europe despite promises not to.

- The 2014 Maidan coup removing pro-Russian President Yanukovych.

- Ukraine’s 2021 bombardment of Donbas separatists.

- NATO’s 2022 plans to admit Ukraine despite promises not to.

- U.S. Biolabs in Ukraine.

None of this is mentioned as context for this new prediction in the article. This is critical context for any objective article about Russia's war plans. Conclusion: this article is not objective.