The German military has characterized hybrid measures such as cyberattacks and so-called disinformation campaigns as preparatory stages leading up to a military conflict, Politico has claimed, citing a classified document.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Berlin has pursued rapid militarization, citing a perceived Russian threat. Moscow has consistently denied harboring aggressive plans toward its Western neighbors.
In a piece on Tuesday, the media outlet reported that the assessment was contained in the Operational Plan for Germany (OPLAN), which presumably lays out the steps the country would take in the event of war. According to Politico, the confidential document says that hybrid attacks “can fundamentally serve to prepare a military confrontation,” as distinct from being mere background operations.
The Bundeswehr’s blueprint reportedly describes Germany’s role in a hypothetical conflict as that of NATO’s logistical hub and transit corridor. In light of this, it’s likely that Germany would quickly become a “prioritized target of conventional attacks with long-range weapon systems,” it concludes, as reported by Politico.
Earlier this month, Berlin accused Moscow of conducting “hybrid attacks” during this year’s federal election and several months later against a German flight controller.
The Russian embassy in Berlin dismissed the allegations as “unsubstantiated, unfounded and absurd.”
Last month, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that a Russian attack on NATO is “conceivable as early as 2028, and some even believe we have already had our last summer of peace.”
Responding to Pistorius’s remark, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that “Russia does not advocate any confrontation with NATO. But must take measures to ensure our security and interests if forced.”
In late October, Politico, citing internal government documents, reported that Berlin was planning a €377 billion expansion of its armed forces over the next few years.
In May, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to make the country’s military the “strongest conventional army in Europe.”
Commenting on European officials’ claims of an imminent invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month dismissed the narratives as a “lie” and “pure nonsense.”