The map was particularly poignant for Poland as insiders believed Moscow was willing to sacrifice Warsaw in order to protect the Soviet Union.
Mr Sikorski concluded: “This map is a moving and shattering personal experience. It shows that the Polish army was being used to participate in an operation that would have resulted in the nuclear annihilation of our country.”
In total, two million Polish civilians would have lost their lives if the plans went ahead.
That scheme could be seen as similar to Putin’s own ambitions in his Ukraine war, with many claiming that the Russian leader hopes to reestablish Moscow’s former glory and secure a number of former Soviet states.
Among those Putin is said to have his eye on include Georgia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.