German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that Russia could attack NATO territory in a few years. He also warned of hybrid threats from Russia. Pistorius said this in an interview with the Funke media group, DW writes, according to UNN.
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At the moment, a direct military attack by Russia on NATO is not expected, but Pistorius warned that if the alliance countries continue to ignore this threat, it will only grow.
“If we ignore the threat just because it makes us uncomfortable, it will not become smaller, it will only increase,” he emphasized.
The minister noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been consistently shifting the country's economy to a military orientation. According to him, today Russia produces more weapons and ammunition in a few months than all the countries of the European Union together in a year.
“By 2029 or 2030, Putin could strengthen his army so much that Russia will be able to strike at NATO,” Pistorius warned.
He added that in the coming years, we must be prepared for Putin's attempts to test NATO's unity by invading one of the alliance's territories.
The Minister also drew attention to the hybrid threats posed by Putin's Russia.
“Putin is acting in a hybrid way, and Germany is under his particularly close watch. He knows us well and understands where and how to inflict painful blows on us,” Pistorius said.
He added that these threats can manifest themselves in attacks on infrastructure, energy supply, activity in the North and Baltic Seas, violations of airspace rules, as well as in influencing elections through social media and funding parties opposed to German interests.
Pistorius emphasized that these actions are part of Putin's strategy to destabilize and split German society.
Regarding the readiness of the German armed forces, Pistorius said that the country is moving in the right direction. He reminded that 97 major projects worth €58 billion were approved in 2024, which exceeds the record figures of the previous year. However, he acknowledged that a lot of military equipment has been transferred to Ukraine, and the industry needs time to increase production capacity. In particular, Pistorius explained that deliveries of Leopard tanks could take up to two and a half years, and frigates and submarines could take six to eight years.
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