Germany’s chief of defence has warned that Russia is stockpiling weapons and military equipment for a possible attack on NATO sooner than we expect.
It comes after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it had destroyed more than 40 military aircraft in a drone attack inside Russia’s territory on Sunday (1 June).
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address that 117 drones had been used in the complicated operation.
“The most interesting thing – and we can already say this publicly – is that the ‘office’ of our operation on Russian territory was located right next to the FSB of Russia in one of their regions,” Zelenskyy said.
SBU sources told the BBC that they took out ’34 percent of [Russia’s] strategic cruise missile carriers’, which reportedly amounted to £5 billion in damage.
The attack reportedly took a year and a half to plan and prepare for.
“The SBU first smuggled FPV drones into Russia, followed later by mobile wooden cabins. Once on Russian territory, the drones were hidden under the roofs of these cabins, which had been placed on cargo vehicles,” the sources said.
“At the right moment, the roofs were remotely opened, and the drones took off to strike the Russian bombers.”
Following the attack, Germany’s chief of defence General Carsten Breuer claims NATO is facing ‘a very serious threat’ from Russia.
He said that German analysts believe the Vladimir Putin led country is producing around 1,500 main battle tanks every year, having produced four million rounds of 152mm artillery munition in 2024.
“Not every single tank is going to [the war in] Ukraine, but it’s also going in stocks and into new military structures always facing the West,” he added to the BBC.
He said ‘there’s an intent and there’s a build up of the stocks’ for a possible future attack on NATO’s Baltic state members.
“This is what the analysts are assessing – in 2029.
“So we have to be ready by 2029… If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that’s not earlier than 2029?
“I would say no, it’s not. So we must be able to fight tonight.”
If Russia was to attack the US, a key member of NATO, it would mean that all other members would have to come to its defence.
Given that NATO countries Hungary and Slovakia appear to have closer relations to Russia, General Breuer is still confident that NATO remains unified.
“I’ve never seen such a unity like it is now,” he said.
“All of them understand the threat that is at the moment approaching NATO, all understand that we have to develop a direction of deterrence, into the direction of collective defence. This is clear to everyone. The urgency is seen.”
Featured Image Credit: BBC
