The head of German intelligence suggests a Russian attack on NATO countries by the end of the decade

Russia may attack a NATO member country before the end of this decade. So Moscow wants to check the "red lines" of the Alliance.

This was stated by the head of Germanyʼs Federal Intelligence Service Bruno Kahl, Die Zeit reports.

According to Kahl, Russia is "preparing for war with the West", and military confrontation is becoming a "possible option" for the Kremlin. Moreover, the goal of a possible attack will not be to seize large territories, but to check the "red lines" established by NATO.

Russia may try to undermine the readiness of the Alliance countries to provide assistance in the event of an armed attack on a NATO member country — this obligation is enshrined in the North Atlantic Treaty. Moscow will achieve its goal if, in the event of a military attack on a NATO member, the other states of the Alliance do not consider it an aggression against all the countries of the alliance and do not react accordingly.

According to German intelligence, Russian high-ranking officials doubt that NATO countries will fulfill their obligations. The predominance of such views in Moscow, according to Kahl, increases the risk of war between Russia and NATO countries, even though Russia has no concrete intentions to start a war.

Possible variants of Russian aggression against NATO members could be a short-term attack on the Norwegian island of Svalbard or the appearance of a limited number of Russian "green men" in the Baltic states under the pretext of "protecting Russian minorities."

Before the invasion, according to Kahl, Russia will try to split NATO. This can happen, for example, if the Russian government wins over certain member states of the Alliance. The threat is also increased by the fact that the Russian army gained military experience in Ukraine and mastered modern methods of warfare. However, a large-scale Russian attack on European NATO countries should not be expected, he believes.

Reuters, citing sources, wrote that NATO needs up to 50 additional brigades to defend against Russia. This is a serious challenge for the Alliance, considering that the brigade consists of 3 000-7 000 servicemen.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.