FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Since February 2022, when Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine, the world has faced fears of a major military escalation that could lead to a Third World War.
Recently, tensions have further increased with airspace violations by Russian aircraft and drones over NATO countries such as Estonia, Poland, Norway and Denmark, further fueling fears of a global conflict.
But now, social media is abuzz with a conspiracy theory that claims World War III will begin on November 3, 2025. Why this particular date?
How did the conspiracy arise?
It all started with an interview with former NATO commander for Europe, General Richard Shirreff, given to the “Daily Mail.” In the interview, Shirreff warned that Russia has the capacity to invade Europe in just five days if the West does not react in time to a surprise attack.
To illustrate this, he created a hypothetical scenario that takes place from November 3 to 7, 2025, describing minute by minute how a surprise Russian invasion could happen. The scenario is not based on any secret information or actual prediction, but that hasn't stopped the conspiracy theories.
What happens in Shirreff's scenario?
According to the scenario:
On November 3, 2025, at 2:00 PM, a total power outage hits Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Chaos erupts in the city, with hospitals switching to emergency generators and banks halting operations.
Within hours, Latvia and Estonia experience similar power outages.
On November 4, Vladimir Putin declares that due to unrest in neighboring countries, Russian forces in Kaliningrad have been put on maximum alert and sent to the border with Lithuania. More than 60,000 Russian troops are also deployed in Belarus.
Putin then claims that Lithuanian rebels have attacked Russian troops in Kaliningrad and orders the occupation of the Suwalki Corridor – a key area connecting Kaliningrad to Belarus.
From there, a broad offensive begins that ends with the rapid defeat of NATO forces, within 100 hours.
Warning, not prediction
General Shirreff has stressed that this is just a fictional scenario, a “mental exercise” to illustrate how quickly a conflict can escalate if NATO is not prepared. The scenario is intended to draw attention to the need for military preparedness and protection of critical infrastructure, not to give a precise date for war.
But, as is often the case on social media, the context has been lost. The date of November 3 has been taken for granted by conspiracy theorists, who have linked the scenario to numerology, an esoteric practice that gives mystical meanings to numbers.
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