Russia could atack a NATO territory “as early as tomorrow”, Germany’s top military general has claimed. Speaking from his headquarters, Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank said that despite the severe impact of the war in Ukraine, Russia’s air capabilities remain strong, and its nuclear and missile arsenals are intact.
He told Reuters: “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,” adding that the attack would be on a small scale.
“Small, quick, regionally limited, nothing big – Russia is too tied down in Ukraine for that,” he added.
Sollfrank, who leads Germany’s Joint Operations Command and oversees defence planning, echoed NATO warnings that Russia could potentially launch a large-scale assault on the 32-member alliance as early as 2029.
Vladimir Putin has denied any such plans, claiming that Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was actually in response to NATO’s expansion.
While the Black Sea Fleet has suffered significant losses, according to the general, other Russian fleets have not been reduced.
“The ground forces are suffering losses, but Russia says it aims to boost its total troop numbers to 1.5 million soldiers,” he said.
“And Russia has enough main battle tanks to make a limited attack conceivable as early as tomorrow.”
He said that three key factors would determine whether Russia might choose to launch an attack: its military strength, its military track record, and its leadership. He added that these factors make an attack possible, but emphasised that whether it actually occurs would largely depend on the actions of other countries.
Recently, Poland has announced what officials call the largest national defence training programme in its modern history. According to Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, cited by Polish broadcaster TVP Info on 6 November, the plan aims to equip up to 400,000 citizens with basic military, medical, and cyber-resilience skills by 2027.
