NATO and Germany plan massive troop redeployment for potential Russian attack

In the event of a Russian attack on NATO's eastern flank, up to 800,000 Alliance soldiers and more than 200,000 pieces of equipment would need to be redeployed through Germany within three to six months.

The main route from west to east will be the A2 highway, which runs from the city of Oberhausen in North Rhine-Westphalia to the Berlin ring road.

Particular attention is paid to the safety of the route, its bottlenecks and alternatives. The possibilities of using civilian infrastructure to accept and maintain such a large number of vehicles and military personnel are also being considered.

According to the outlet, the Hohenwarte bridge over the Elbe, which is almost 1,200 meters long, is considered a bottleneck, as in the event of a sabotage or missile attack on it, the A2 highway could become completely paralyzed.

German Armed Forces Inspector General Carsten Breuer said on July 12 that Germany is actively preparing for a possible war with Russia and believes that by 2029, the conditions will be optimal for Russia to start a war with NATO.

Russia's possible attack on NATO

Bild magazine, citing its own sources in the intelligence of a European country, reported in December 2023 that Russia might try to attack Europe in late 2024 or early 2025, when the United States would be "leaderless" and would be able to come to the aid of European states only after a certain delay.

In January 2024, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Europe was once again "facing a military threat that has not been seen for 30 years" and warned of the possibility of a Russian attack in five to eight years.

U.S. intelligence reported in March that Russia does not want a direct military conflict with the United States and NATO and will continue asymmetric activities that it estimates will not cross the threshold of military conflict on a global scale.