German general says Russia could launch limited attack on NATO any time

7/11/2025 17:10

Russia has capacity for a limited attack against NATO territory at any time but a decision to act would depend on the Western allies' posture, a top German military official warned.



"If you look at Russia's current capabilities and combat power, Russia could kick off a small-scale attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow," Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank told Reuters in an interview. "Small, quick, regionally limited, nothing big - Russia is too tied down in Ukraine for that."

Sollfrank, who heads Germany's joint operations command and oversees defence planning, also echoed NATO warnings that Russia could potentially mount a large-scale assault on the 32-member alliance as early as 2029 if its armament efforts persist.



President Vladimir Putin denies aggressive intentions, saying Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine was defence against NATO's own expansionist ambitions against Russia.



Speaking at his headquarters, a sprawling barracks in the north of Berlin, Sollfrank said that despite setbacks in Ukraine, Russia's air force retains substantial combat strength, and its nuclear and missile forces remain unaffected.