Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) warned of a hybrid threat to Germany from Russia under Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. “Putin is attacking in a hybrid manner, and Germany is particularly in focus.” “He knows us well, Putin knows how to puncture us,” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group. You have to prepare for this in order to be able to face Putin’s threat “confidently”. “If we ignore the threat because it makes us uncomfortable, it doesn’t get smaller, it gets bigger,” he said. It's about attacks on infrastructure and energy supplies, activities in the North and Baltic Seas and violations of rules in the airspace.
“In addition, there are campaigns on social media, the influencing of election campaigns and the financing of votes that, like the AfD and BSW, claim that we are not concerned about our own protection, but that we are heading towards a war with Russia,” said Pistorius. This was all part of Putin's strategy to unsettle and disperse German society.
The military state must increase to at least 80 billion euros
Pistorius called for a significant increase in the defense budget. “We need a defense budget of at least 80 billion, more likely 90 billion euros annually from 2028 in order to meet the requirements we have due to the tightened security situation,” he said. If Putin attacks, “we have to be able to wage war.”
The 64-year-old remains Germany's most popular politician. In November, some SPD MPs called for him to be made the SPD's candidate for chancellor instead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to an Insa survey, 46 percent of those surveyed said they were in favor Picture on Sunday that Pistorius should have as much influence as possible in German politics in the new year. This is another four percent more than in 2023. At 38 percent, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is behind Pistorius, as in the previous year. BSW boss Sahra Wagenknecht and CDU chairman Friedrich Merz follow in third and fourth place with 32 percent each. Behind them comes AfD leader Alice Weidel with 31 percent.
When asked by the Funke newspapers whether Germany was where it should be militarily, Pistorius replied that they were “on the right track”. In 2024 alone, 97 major projects worth 58 billion euros were launched. But the truth also included: “We have delivered a lot of material to Ukraine.” In addition, the industry needs time to ramp up production capacities and produce weapons and ammunition.” Pistorius calculated that a leopardTanks have a delivery time of up to two and a half years, while frigates and submarines take six to eight years.
Meanwhile, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continued with nightly airstrikes. The Air Force located numerous Russian combat drones in the sky on Sunday night. Russian planes dropped glide bombs on the Donetsk and Kherson regions. The Ukrainian General Staff reported many battles. In the Russian border region of Kursk, Moscow troops tried with all their might to drive out the Russian soldiers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky threatened further attacks in retaliation for Russian airstrikes. “We will definitely continue to attack Russian military targets with drones and missiles,” he said in a video address. Ukraine is using more and more self-produced weapons.
According to the government in Moscow, the Russian armed forces intercepted and destroyed a total of 42 Ukrainian drones. The Defense Ministry said on Telegram that five oblasts were affected by the attack on Sunday night.
