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| German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius | Photo: Reuters |
Berlin must be prepared to respond to a possible Russian hybrid attack ahead of the German election, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. "Russian President Vladimir Putin is moving towards a hybrid attack. And the target is Germany," he told German media outlet Funke Mediengruppe on Sunday.
A hybrid attack is a type of cyber attack that uses a variety of techniques to attempt to gain access to a country's IT, networks, and devices.
"He knows very well, Putin knows how to poke us," Pistorius said.
Pistorius referred to recent incidents affecting Germany's infrastructure and energy supply, including incidents in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, for which Russia is blamed.
According to Pistorius, pro-Kremlin groups could spread false information on social media to divide German society, which would benefit right-wing and popular parties.
"There are already campaigns on social media, interference in election campaigns and funding for various ideologies such as the AfD and BSW, who say we are moving towards war with Russia without worrying about our own security."
Pistorius said that everything within his power must be done to prevent Putin's strategy.
Russia's military spending is a threat to NATO
Although there is no threat from Moscow at the moment, the Defense Minister has warned that Putin could equip Russia with new weapons by 2030. As a result, the country will gain the ability to attack NATO members.
According to the German Defense Minister, Putin may try to test how cohesive the military alliance is by moving closer to different parts of NATO territory in the next few years.
Pistorius said that after launching a full-scale attack on Ukraine, Putin has turned Russia into a war economy. At this time, the amount of weapons and ammunition that Russia is producing each month is equal to the amount that all the countries of the European Union produce in a year.