A forthcoming show produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) simulates a full-scale Russian invasion of Latvia and the use of nuclear weapons in the Baltic - all for the purposes of entertainment.

The UK's Daily Mail reports that the show titled "World War Three: Inside The War Room" is a simulation of a military conflict in which Latvia is invaded by Russia.

Its NATO allies - and most particularly a selection of former British decision makers - dither about how to fulfill their obligations under NATO's Article 5, which views an attack upon one NATO member as an attack on all.

"The exercise, designed by military strategists, envisages a Russian invasion of Latvia to support pro-Kremlin separatists who have taken over 20 towns near its border," the Daily Mail said.

A BBC website dedicated to the show says:

"A war room of senior former British military and diplomatic figures comes together to war-game a hypothetical 'hot war' in eastern Europe, including the unthinkable - nuclear confrontation."

In a move of questionable wisdom, a publicity picture for the show appears to show pro-Kremlin rebels sporting the flag of Latvia's eastern Latgale region - which is likely to cause a good deal of offense in Latgale itself.

Photo: BBC/Gabriel Range BBC show 'World War Three: Inside The War Room'

Last year, the use of Latgale's flag in a similar manner on social media prompted an investigation by Latvia's internal security service, the Security Police.

The BBC is far from the first foreign media outlet to assume Latgale is ripe for the picking by Russia - but the people of Latgale itself have rather different ideas, as LSM found out when we asked them.

Quite how many theoretical Latvians are killed in the simulated invasion is not revealed in the Daily Mail's coverage, which instead focuses on British reluctance to use nuclear weapons despite first use by Russia.

The show airs on BBC2 at 11 p.m. Riga time (9 p.m. in the UK) on Wednesday 3rd February.