Russia eyes 4 next targets as Putin's puppet issues 'nuclear armageddon' threat

 The Kremlin has stepped up its rhetoric against Azerbaijan, as tensions between Baku and Moscow continue to grow. Once part of the Soviet Union and a close Russian ally, Azerbaijan's relations with Moscow have dramatically nose dived in recent months.

The Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has accused the Kremlin of shooting down a passenger plane on December 25 as it tried to land in Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of 38 people. Although Vladimir Putin issued a rare apology for the "tragic incident", he stopped short of acknowledging Russia's culpability. In February, Baku was reported to be preparing an appeal to "an international court" over Russia's alleged downing of the plane.

Azeri citizens and businesses in Russia have found themselves increasingly targeted by the Kremlin's security apparatus, as tensions continue to simmer. In light of these tensions, an unnamed source claimed in an Azeri news outlet that the government may soon consider to send weapons to Kyiv, after its energy assets in Ukraine have come under repeated Russian attack in recent weeks.

Now, one of the Kremlin's main propagandists has taken aim at Azerbaijan. Although not directly mentioning the country by name, Vladimir Solovyov threatened Azerbaijan with a potential military invasion during his talk show on channel Russia One.

Referring to a region he provocatively called "our South Caucasus", he claimed that NATO bases may soon appear by the Caspian Sea, describing the prospect as a "very big problem".

"This is so dangerous that if we consider geopolitical positions it may lead to such consequences that this may not be the last Special Military Operation of our generation," he menacingly said.

Not satisfied with stirring the Caspian pot, Solovyov then once again turned his attention towards the Baltic States in another studio debate with his fellow Kremlin stooges.

Dismissing Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania as "geopolitical mistakes", the Kremlin mouthpiece queried whether other NATO countries would risk a nuclear war to protect them.

"The Baltic States just can't seem to understand that they're a geopolitical mistake," he scornfully said.

"NATO isn't going to stick its neck out for them," he claimed. "Article 5 doesn't imply an immediate entry into war - you just need to read it carefully. Who would want to burn in a nuclear Armageddon over the Baltics? Who? Exactly - that's my point."