Germany’s foreign intelligence chief, Martin Jäger said on Monday, October 13th, that Russia poses a direct threat to Europe, and the current “icy peace” with the European Union could escalate into “heated confrontation” at any time.
“To achieve this goal, Russia will not shy away from direct military confrontation with NATO if necessary,” Jäger told lawmakers during a public briefing in Berlin. He was joined by the leaders of Germany’s domestic and military intelligence agencies.
Jäger highlighted concerns about NATO and European stability. “We must not sit back and assume that a possible Russian attack would come in 2029 at the earliest. We are already under fire today,” he said.
The head of Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency, Sinan Selen, pointed to incidents in September involving drone incursions, GPS disruptions, and fighter aircraft entering NATO airspace, emphasizing the scope of the threat:
Although investigations are still ongoing, the options for attack available to a hybrid actor in airspace have become clear.
