Nearing its second anniversary, the Russo-Ukraine war shows no signs of ending anytime soon. The fight continues, with little progress made by either side and tens of thousands of casualties. All this time, people have been worried that Russia will attack NATO member states, and now it appears like one country is getting ready for it to happen.
The German military is reportedly getting ready for a direct confrontation with Russia, according to the Bild daily. The journal claims to have seen a classified document that suggests a possible escalation between NATO and Russia in the next weeks, as well as a training scenario detailing the steps taken by NATO in reaction to an attack by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the scenario, Russia intends to launch an offensive in the spring that will be more effective than its previous two attempts, allowing it to seize a large portion of Ukrainian territory. Following this, Moscow would launch cyberattacks, instigate turmoil in the Baltic nations, send tens of thousands of troops to Belarus, and eventually target Kaliningrad.
The scenario predicts that the US election will be much more chaotic than 2020, and that Moscow would eventually use this as an excuse to attack NATO. An attack on one member is considered an attack on all members, according to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. In light of this hypothetical situation, NATO would send 300,000 troops into action.
The German Defense Ministry was evasive when questioned on the document’s veracity. The head of the NATO center for strategic communications, Jānis Sārts, clarified that it was just a training exercise, which always involves made-up scenarios. Nothing is ever completely out of the question, though, and specialized training is essential for military readiness.
