Russian leader Vladimir Putin has reportedly sparked the beginning of World War III by covertly conspiring with other rogue nations to attack US forces on multiple fronts worldwide, according to Pentagon and CIA insiders who spoke exclusively to The National ENQUIRER.

These brazen assaults, masterminded by the Russian president, have brought the world closer to nuclear annihilation than at any point since the Cold War.

Sources say that Putin, who has aggressively pursued a brutal campaign in Ukraine for over a year, is now openly provoking the US to declare war. International affairs expert Dr. Jim Garrow warns, "Putin has been assembling a modern-day axis of evil through ties with the mullahs in Iran, unhinged North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and President Xi Jinping in China. If hostilities between the US and Russia continue to spiral, it may very easily pull those other nations into conflict with our NATO allies. The resulting war would leave the world in ashes!"

Insiders within the Pentagon assert that Putin personally ordered a Russian Su-27 jet to shoot down a US Air Force Reaper drone over the Black Sea on March 14. This alarming aerial incident occurred just four weeks after a Russian fighter jet and bomber brazenly entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, leading to the deployment of US fighter jets.

In addition, Iranian-backed militias, equipped and trained by Russia, continue to target US forces. Recently, they launched coordinated attacks on several American bases and a gas plant in northeastern Syria, resulting in the death of a US contractor and injuries to six other Americans. The US responded with retaliatory strikes.

The ENQUIRER previously reported that US intelligence agencies had discovered "compelling" evidence of Russian agents' involvement in a series of mysterious attacks on vital electrical infrastructure in North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington State.

However, the US is not backing down. Sources reveal that American operatives are working alongside Ukrainian commandos deep within Russian-controlled territory to weaken Putin's military machine. An anonymous intelligence source comments, "The White House might say we have no boots on the ground in Ukraine, but the CIA never really left the country, and special forces are actively at work in Russian-held territory. It's a gamble, but the Biden administration apparently feels it's worth the risk."

Dr. Garrow believes that Putin is already secretly redrawing the map to entice allies to aid him in Ukraine, stating, "I wouldn't at all be surprised if he hasn't already promised Taiwan to Xi and Israel to Iran." However, retired US Army Major Gen. Paul Vallely argues that Putin is not solely responsible for the escalating threat, emphasizing the importance of engaging Putin in a ceasefire in Ukraine to avoid further conflict and potential nuclear war.