Russia could be in a position to pose a serious military threat to NATO territory within five years, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crocetto said on Thursday, quoted by "Reuters", BTA reports.
His remarks were made to the Italian parliament in connection with the results of the latest NATO summit, at which a decision was made to increase defense and security spending.
„Allies have expressed serious concerns about the growing threat from Russia. There are no signs that Russian military production is being redirected to civilian purposes, even in the event of a ceasefire,“ said Crosetto.
The minister also stressed that public support in Russia for the war in Ukraine, which began in 2022, remains stable.
Without specifying the sources of information, Crosetto reported that Russia has lost over one million soldiers, including 200,000 in the first six months of 2025 alone.
“And yet the country managed to mobilize another 300,000 soldiers over the same period, without observing a decline in internal consensus,“ he said.