Russian President Vladimir Putin is getting ready for a possible big war with NATO, according to German intelligence. A leaked report says Russia believes it’s in a long-term conflict with the West and is willing to use military force beyond just Ukraine.
The report, created by Germany’s foreign intelligence agency (BND) and its military (Bundeswehr), was shared by German news outlets. It says that although Russia is not an immediate threat to NATO, the country may be ready for a large-scale war by the end of the decade. Even though Russia has lost many soldiers in the Ukraine war, its ability to produce weapons is still strong and even growing.
Russia’s military industry is making more weapons than it needs for the war in Ukraine, and it could speed up production if needed.
The report suggests that while a major war isn’t expected soon, Russia might try to attack one NATO country to test how the alliance responds. NATO’s Article 5 says that if one member is attacked, all members must defend it.
Putin also plans to increase Russia’s military to 1.5 million troops by 2026, showing he believes in having a large army to win wars. Recently, he made fun of the UK’s military size, saying it only has around 170,000 or 180,000 soldiers.
The report also talks about NATO countries near Russia, especially the Baltic States, which used to be part of the Soviet Union. Right now, the threat to these countries is low because most Russian troops near those borders are fighting in Ukraine. But if the war in Ukraine ends, those soldiers could return, raising the risk to nearby countries.
