German General warns Russia could launch limited attack on NATO ‘any time’
Russia has the capability to launch a limited military attack on NATO territory at any time, though such a move would depend on the alliance’s posture, Germany’s top operational commander warned.
“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,” Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, head of Germany’s Joint Operations Command, told, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The general described such an attack as “small, quick, and regionally limited”, noting that Russia remains heavily engaged in its war against Ukraine.
Sollfrank echoed NATO intelligence assessments that Moscow could rebuild its forces for a larger-scale confrontation with the alliance by 2029, if current rearmament continues.
Despite battlefield losses in Ukraine, Sollfrank said Russia’s air force, nuclear arsenal, and missile forces remain largely untouched. While the Black Sea Fleet has been degraded, other naval fleets are intact, and Moscow is pushing to increase troop numbers to 1.5 million.
“Russia has enough main battle tanks to make a limited attack conceivable as early as tomorrow,” Sollfrank said, clarifying that there are no indications such an attack is being planned.
Germany, meanwhile, has pledged to meet NATO’s 3.5% defense spending target by 2029, raising its budget from nearly €100 billion in 2025 to €160 billion. The country also aims to expand its armed forces by 60,000 troops, reaching a total of around 260,000.
Sollfrank warned that Russia’s hybrid tactics, such as drone incursions into Polish airspace, form part of a wider “non-linear warfare” strategy that combines cyber, intelligence, and psychological operations with nuclear threats.
“They threaten to use nuclear weapons — which is warfare by intimidation,” he said. “Russia’s goal is to provoke NATO, test its response, and spread fear and insecurity.”
Moscow has repeatedly denied any intention to attack NATO, insisting its 2022 invasion of Ukraine was a defensive move against Western expansion.
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