class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>
The German Bundeswehr is preparing for a new level of escalation in the war in Ukraine. As Russian forces try to gain ground in eastern and southern Ukraine, the Kremlin could simultaneously target NATO’s eastern flank.
The newspaper “Bild” reports on this danger. It is based on a secret document in which the German Defense Ministry outlines the possible “road to conflict” between aggressor Russia and the Western defense alliance.
The scenario assumes cyber attacks and other forms of hybrid warfare in July. The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in which Russian minorities are said to be incited, would be affected.
At the same time, Russia would move troops and medium-range missiles to Kaliningrad, with the main goal of capturing the Suwalki Gap. The Suwalki Gap is the narrow corridor between Poland and Lithuania through which Moscow supplies its exclave of Kaliningrad.
During the US elections in November, when the US could be temporarily without a leader after Joe Biden (81) is voted out of office, Russian President Vladimir Putin (71) is expected to have his troops invade NATO countries.
Mind you, it’s a screenplay. However, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (63) recently said: “Dangers may be upon us at the end of this decade.” And Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin (38) warned: “War could break out in Sweden.”
Rocket and nuclear researcher Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo urges us to hurry. “We are much closer to war with Russia than most people think,” he wrote in a post on
Putin’s blackmail
Because Putin knows he is inferior in strength to NATO, he would not allow a direct confrontation, Hoffmann says. “Under Russian doctrine, Russia would try to force NATO into submission by demonstrating its ability to inflict increasing damage.”
Hoffmann imagines that Russia would first launch major attacks on critical civilian infrastructure in all NATO states in Europe. The message: Don’t come to the aid of your Eastern European NATO allies if you don’t want your people to suffer.
At the same time, according to Hoffmann, Russia would expand its nuclear shield over NATO territory, which it could capture in a first strike. The message here: Any attempt to retake these areas will lead to nuclear escalation.
Putin uses indecision
The Kremlin learned during the war in Ukraine that the West lacked resolve. In other words, Putin is counting on NATO to abandon its allies in Eastern Europe to prevent an escalation across Europe.
Hoffmann misses a debate about how NATO would fight a war. There is no other option than to ‘put our affairs in order through the efforts of society as a whole’, which comes at a high cost. Hoffmann: “If we assume the worst-case scenario, and that is what we should do, time is already up.”
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
