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Germany, along with Europe as a whole, is aware that Russia poses the greatest security threat as it continues to increase its military capabilities.
Major General Christian Freuding, Head of the Bundeswehr’s Situation Center Ukraine at the German Ministry of Defense, stated this in a comment to Ukrinform.
“I totally agree that Russia for the time being and for the future as far as we can foresee it will be the largest threat for Western Europe, for Europe as a whole. And we are very clear that what is happening with Ukraine could happen for Europe in perspective, to our Eastern neighbors as well,” said the high-ranking military official.
According to him, Europe also recognizes that Russia is preparing to increase their military capabilities.
“We are very clear about the timelines. We know that by 2029, in five years from now, the Russian armed forces are aiming to achieve military capabilities that could enable them to conduct any kind of new aggression against NATO territory,” the general acknowledged.
Additionally, Freuding noted that within German society, “there is some process ongoing where our people are getting more and more aware of that,” commenting on a recent sociological survey by the Bundeswehr’s Center for Military History and Social Sciences. According to the survey, the difficult situation on the front lines in Ukraine is reflected in public opinion in Germany, where more people perceive Russia as a military threat to Germany’s security.
As reported, according to the latest survey in Germany, 41% of respondents believe that a war in Europe threatens them personally (+7 percentage points compared to 2023).
After a slight decline last year, in 2024, more respondents perceive tensions between the West and Russia as a threat to personal security (58%; +3 percentage points compared to 2023).
Russia is mainly seen as a threat to Germany’s security by all socio-demographic groups of the German population. However, respondents who vote for the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany and the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance perceive Russia as less of a threat than voters of other parties.
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