BRUSSELS — NATO anticipates that President Vladimir Putin will respond to Ukraine’s bold “Spider’s Web” drone operation, which significantly impacted Russia’s strategic air bases, according to a senior NATO official speaking to The Moscow Times.

“There will undoubtedly be retaliatory measures from Russia. Additionally, we can expect Russia to implement defensive strategies,” the official said on the condition of anonymity, prior to the alliance’s meeting of defense ministers.

The official cautioned that such measures may involve an increase in Russian airstrikes targeting Ukraine.

“Thus far, Russia hasn’t required much provocation for severe attacks. However, I believe they will likely use this incident to rationalize and warrant further intensive strikes, as well as to obstruct negotiations,” he added.

He mentioned being aware of additional details concerning Moscow’s potential retaliation plans but refrained from sharing specifics.

A second senior NATO official affirmed that the alliance had verified the damage to Russia’s strategic aviation capabilities resulting from the Ukrainian operation.

When asked if the Ukrainian military had used intelligence from NATO allies in orchestrating the covert operation, he remained noncommittal.

“Ukrainian forces succeeded in damaging over 40 Russian aircraft, with ten to thirteen of them being destroyed, including at least one A-50 reconnaissance plane,” the second official stated.

“I can’t confirm whether the intelligence from any allies was utilized. Nonetheless, it’s worth mentioning that the locations of Russia’s strategic aviation bases are well-documented and publicly available,” the NATO representative indicated.

He did not clarify how many of the destroyed aircraft were fully operational and actively engaged in Russia’s assault on Ukraine as opposed to those that were non-operational or reserved for parts.

“Is there a chance that Moscow might escalate the situation? I believe there’s always a potential for escalation,” he remarked.