Germany warns of Russian 'attack' on NATO within ‘5-8 years’
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Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius issues a warning, suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin could potentially launch an attack on the NATO military alliance within the next five to eight years.
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius speaks during a joint press conference with Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas after signing a Lithuanian-German Action Plan "Roadmap", December 18, 2023. (AP)
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Friday warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could pull an 'attack' on a NATO country “within 5-8 years.”
"We hear threats from the Kremlin almost every day ... so we have to take into account that Vladimir Putin might even attack a NATO country one day," Pistorius said in an interview with the Berlin-based Der Tagesspiegel newspaper.
The minister added that even though a "Russian attack is not likely for now... our experts expect a period of five to eight years in which this could be possible."
Pistorius's comments align with warnings from Sweden's Minister for Civil Defense, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, who last week cautioned that "war could come to Sweden."
In an interview with Der Tagesspiegel, Pistorius expressed understanding of the Swedish warnings, noting that they were "understandable from a Scandinavian perspective." He further emphasized that Sweden confronted "an even more serious situation" due to its geographical proximity to Russia.
'Rising tensions, potential escalations'
Sweden is currently awaiting approval from Turkey and Hungary to become a member of the NATO alliance, as it is not yet officially part of the organization.
On Tuesday, the German newspaper Bild claimed to have acquired "secret documents" prepared by the German armed forces, revealing Russia's purported plan for an offensive against NATO's eastern flank. According to the document, Russia is said to be contemplating an attack following a successful counteroffensive against Ukraine, with the alleged pushback of the Ukrainian army expected by June.
The classified document suggested that Russia may engage in "cyberattacks and other forms of hybrid war" against the Baltic countries later in July. Subsequently, unspecified "clashes" are anticipated, serving as a pretext for Russia to initiate large-scale military drills on its territory and in Belarus.
Further details in the classified report, according to Bild, indicate that Russia might deploy troops and medium-range missiles to its western enclave of Kaliningrad in October. This move could be followed by a border conflict in the Suwalki Gap, expected to unfold in December.
