"We are absolutely certain and have intelligence that Ukraine is just one step on the path to the West. There are people in Moscow who no longer believe that NATO Article 5 works. And they would like to try it out."
The head of the German Federal Intelligence Service, Bruno Kahl, warned about this to ntv-de.
He was a guest on the Table.Today program. According to him, the aggression by the Russian Federation should not be underestimated, because the Kremlin's goal is to expand its sphere of influence in the West.
Germany believes that Moscow would like to check NATO's Article 5, which stipulates that an attack on one or more members of the North Atlantic Alliance is considered an attack on all, summarized Bruno Kahl.
Berlin is actively preparing for a possible Russian attack on NATO, considering several scenarios for escalating the conflict.
According to information published by German media and official sources, various scenarios are being considered.
A "German Operational Plan" has already been developed, which describes how the country's military architecture should be structured before the outbreak of a possible military conflict.
The plan provides for the deployment and supply of NATO forces, such as with fuel, food and medical supplies. supplies.
The inspector general of the German armed forces, Carsten Breuer, noted that by 2029, Russia could have about 1.5 million soldiers, which is twice the number of troops participating in the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, the Bundeswehr has 181,500 soldiers, which is 20,000 fewer than the planned number of 203,000. This raises concerns about Germany's readiness for a possible conflict.
Germany recently made a major turnaround in its financial policy, easing the so-called "debt brake" (Schuldenbremse) to allocate more funds for defense. The country also supported Rutte's proposal to increase NATO defense spending to 5% of GDP - significantly above the previous target of 2%.