A senior German military official responsible for defense planning warned that Russia can launch a limited attack on NATO “as early as tomorrow” if it wanted to, and a much larger assault by 2029 as Moscow heavily re-arms amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russia-NATO tensions have risen sharply over the course of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the risk of a catastrophic direct clash between the two nuclear-armed sides is growing. Russia says it does not seek to attack NATO, but Western allies accuse it of waging a hybrid war against them through airspace incursions, sabotage, cyber attacks, and more.
“If you look at Russia’s current capabilities and combat power, Russia could kick off a small-scale attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow,” Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, head of the NATO ally’s joint operations command, told Reuters.
“Small, quick, regionally limited, nothing big—Russia is too tied down in Ukraine for that.”
Though Sollfrank did not say Russia was planning such an attack, he warned that Moscow’s military strength, track record, and leadership “lead me to the conclusion that a Russian attack is in the realm of the possible.” He said NATO’s deterrence efforts will largely determine whether the Kremlin makes such a move or not.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.