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Russia could attack NATO by 2030, German intelligence chief says

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Russia could attack NATO by 2030, German intelligence chief says
Bruno Kahl, president of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND), speaks at the opening of the extension to the BND Visitor Center on July 19, 2024. (Britta Pedersen/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Russia will have the military capabilities to be able to attack NATO by 2030, said German intelligence chief Bruno Kahl during a parliamentary hearing on Oct. 14.

Kahl's comments were the latest in a series of increasingly dire warnings from Western leaders and defense officials about the threat emanating from Russia and Europe's current lack of preparedness.

Russia's determination to use covert and hybrid measures against the West has reached a "level previously unseen," Kahl said, adding that they are being used "without any scruples."

Moscow's ultimate goals are to "push the U.S. out of Europe," roll back NATO boundaries to the 1990s, and create a "Russian sphere of influence" with the aim of cementing a "new world order."

Russian President Vladimir Putin "will continue to test the West's red lines and further escalate the confrontation," Kahl said, warning that Russia's military spending is far outstripping that of the West.

Separately, Thomas Haldewang, the chief of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, said that Russian espionage and sabotage activity in Europe has sharply increased.

NATO to rethink alliance’s relationship with Russia for first time in decades
“It’s time to now craft a new strategy in terms of (the allies’) specific positions,” a senior U.S. official said. Defense ministers from NATO member nations will convene in Brussels Oct. 17-18 to discuss the matter.
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Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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