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2nd June 2025
12:31pm BST
The German Chief of Defence has warned that Russia is amassing weapons and military equipment for a possible attack on NATO.
It follows after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced a drone attack on 40 military aircrafts inside Russia's territory on Sunday, 1 June.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in his evening address that 117 drones had been used during the operation.
"The most interesting thing - and we can already say this publicly - is that the 'office' of our operation on Russian territory was located right next to the FSB of Russia in one of their regions," Zelenskyy said.
According to SBU sources they took out 34 percent of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers, which reportedly amounted to £5 billion in damage.
This premeditated attack took over a year to plan and prepare for.
"The SBU first smuggled FPV drones into Russia, followed later by mobile wooden cabins. Once on Russian territory, the drones were hidden under the roofs of these cabins, which had been placed on cargo vehicles," the sources said.
"At the right moment, the roofs were remotely opened, and the drones took off to strike the Russian bombers."
After the attack, Germany's Chief of Defence Carsten Breuer forewarns that NATO is facing a 'very serious threat' from Russia.
German analysts believe that Russia is producing around 1,500 main battle tanks every year, knowing they produced four million rounds of 152mm artillery munition last year.
Breuer believes that Russia may attack NATO in the next four years.
"Not every single tank is going to [the war in] Ukraine, but it's also going in stocks and into new military structures always facing the West," he said to the BBC.
He claims there's a clear intent along with the build-up of the stocks for a possible future attack on NATO's Baltic state members.
He said: "This is what the analysts are assessing - in 2029.
"So we have to be ready by 2029... If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that's not earlier than 2029?
"I would say no, it's not. So we must be able to fight tonight."
If Russia were to attack a NATO member, all other NATO members would have to get involved. General Breuer is confident that NATO remains unified, even with countries such as Hungary and Slovakia who appear to have closer relations to Russia.
"I've never seen such a unity like it is now," he said.
"All of them understand the threat that is at the moment approaching NATO, all understand that we have to develop a direction of deterrence, into the direction of collective defence. This is clear to everyone. The urgency is seen."
