Moscow Increasingly Willing To Take Escalation Risks — Pistorius
Russia is actively building up its military potential, posing a direct threat not only to Ukraine but to all of Europe.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated this during budget debates in the Bundestag, UATV English reports.
“Some people simply want to close their eyes to the threat that Putin’s Russia poses to our country and continent. This danger is serious and immediate. We are literally in Moscow’s crosshairs,” the German minister said.
According to him, events of recent weeks show that Russia is trying to spy on Western societies, influence and destabilize them, and above all intimidate people.
“And all of this is taking on a new quality. Moscow is increasingly willing to take escalation risks,” the head of the Defense Ministry stated.
He emphasized that Russia is massively building up its arsenal, with Moscow directing half of its overall budget toward military spending. On Putin’s orders, the Russian army is to grow to one and a half million servicemembers, and in addition, Russia has recruited nearly 30,000 soldiers from North Korea and other countries around the world, Pistorius stated.
“And Moscow is using a significant part of its budget… to replenish stockpiles for future conflicts, not to send to the front in Ukraine. Of the 150 short- and medium-range missiles Russia is capable of producing monthly, on average only about 80 are used in Ukraine,” the German minister emphasized.
In this connection, he recalled that back in 2023, Putin made very clear that he was ready for anything, when at the Valdai Club he spoke of an “uncompromising, relentless struggle” for a new world order.
“This is a clear challenge to the West, a threat — and specifically to us here, in Germany and Western Europe,” Pistorius emphasized.
He also addressed the “Alternative for Germany” faction: “Ladies and gentlemen of AfD, your ties to Moscow are quite literally treacherous. They’re treacherous in every respect. You should be ashamed.”
He recalled that Putin is waging a war of attrition against Ukraine and will once again use cold as a weapon this winter.
“He’s already started doing this. He’s counting on Russia having greater staying power, but he’s miscalculated. He has completely underestimated the resilience of Ukrainians, who fight every day for their own freedom, and at the same time for ours. And he has underestimated us, the West… That’s why supporting Ukraine remains a clear priority for us,” the German defense minister stated.
At the same time, he emphasized that German armed forces, in turn, benefit from Ukraine’s military expertise and technological innovation capability.
As earlier reported, Germany officially accused Russia of an attempted act of sabotage in the incident involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that, in response, Germany will close the Russian consulate in Bonn and the “Russian House” in Berlin.
Read also: Carney: Canada Will Transfer A Third Of All Its Drones To Ukraine
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- September, 13
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14 of September 2026
