Moscow's military might: Russia fights on multiple fronts

- Moscow is not too busy with the war in Ukraine and may conduct other, parallel conflicts - says Gen. Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, commander of the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin.

- Every day we observe that Russia is able to compensate for the losses incurred using its own war economy - said Gen. Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart in the Monday edition of "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" (SZ).

Since November 2021, the military officer has been the commander of the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin. He commands three NATO divisions and combat units along the Alliance's and Russia's border. In the event of an attack on any NATO country, Sandrart would command over 20,000 soldiers.

Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart admits in an interview with "SZ" that he is concerned by "Putin's small provocations," which are gradually becoming the norm. He mentions, among others, the announcement of shifting Russia's borders in the Baltic Sea region, Moscow's growing appetite for the Swedish island of Gotland, the hard-to-defend Suwałki gap, and Russia's orchestration of bringing immigrants to the border with Belarus.

- It is naive to believe that the conflict must be conducted exclusively militarily - admits the general and warns that a hybrid war may present NATO with completely different challenges than a purely classic military scenario. - The consequences could be almost as significant as an openly declared war - adds the military officer.

According to the general, NATO is well-prepared for the current threat, but as Russia's capabilities grow, so does the threat posed by it - parallel to the war in Ukraine.

- Therefore, it is necessary to prevent Russia from seeing from its perspective a real opportunity that it could use for itself - says the commander of the Szczecin corps. He warns that Russia is capable of conducting conflicts located in other areas, as the war in Ukraine does not exhaust its capabilities in this field.

To better respond to the growing threat, NATO plans to increase the number of so-called rapid reaction forces sixfold to 300,000.

Other media, including Der Spiegel, also wrote on Monday about improving NATO countries' security. The weekly online portal reports that six Alliance member states bordering Russia plan to create a so-called "drone wall." The goal will be to use drones and other technologies to protect the borders. Norway, Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states are expected to join the project.

Anti-drone systems will also be used for border protection. Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite, quoted by Spiegel, spoke of a "completely new case." So far, no implementation schedule for this project has been provided.