Germany must be ready for Russia's attack on NATO in two to three years – German general

Germany is considering the possibility of a Russian invasion in two to three years. This opinion in an interview with The Times expressed head of the German Armed Forces Support Command, Lieutenant General Gerald Funke.

In the event of an attack on NATO, Germany would serve as a logistics hub. Immediately after a possible attack, a 4,800-strong mechanized infantry brigade would be able to launch a strike from a forward base in Lithuania. Then, within a few days, another 15,000 rapid reaction troops would be deployed to the front.

And in the coming weeks, "tens of thousands" of allied soldiers will arrive at German ports in the North Sea, from where they will be transferred eastward by road and rail. Funke did not rule out that the logistics routes would be exposed to Russian sabotage, cyberattacks, and possibly long-range missile strikes.

Shortly thereafter, "hundreds of victims" will be brought in for treatment every day, which could lead to overcrowding in German hospitals on a scale comparable to the "darkest days" of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Funke's forecast, this is the worst-case scenario that Germany should be ready for in two to three years.

"I am now worried about the hybrid side, the hidden side: sabotage, sleeper cells, some targeted attacks. I cannot rule out the use of long-range missiles. But I think that the hybrid threat is very high," Fogh Rheingold said.

According to the German general, Russia's hybrid attacks have now become part of Germany's "everyday reality." Therefore, many things need to be practiced during the exercises.

"It also helps the troops a lot. In the army, it is extremely important not to have rigid plans that make people say: "Now we don't know what to do. We must be able to improvise. Putin would not say: "Well, we know that your ship hasn't arrived, so we'll give you two days of peace to settle everything, and then we'll start again," the German general summarized.

• In December 2025, the NATO Secretary General stated that Russia may attack Europeif China attacks Taiwan. And the Finnish prime minister did not rule out that Russia could transfer troops to NATO's borders after the ceasefire in Ukraine.
• At the same time, the German defense minister said that Putin allegedly does not want to start a full-scale world war against NATO.