Russia preparing for major war against West by 2029, warns top German general

Germany’s top general warned on Friday that Russia is rapidly rearming and establishing new military structures to challenge the West militarily by 2029.

“We can see that Russia is preparing itself to be capable of waging a large-scale war against the West,” Gen. Carsten Breuer said at a German Catholic gathering in Wurzburg. NATO allies must boost their military capabilities, he added.

He noted that the latest intelligence reports indicate Russia is establishing new garrisons, and that its new weapons arsenal suggests Moscow wants to be capable of waging a major war against the West by 2029.

“The threat is real, and it is very close,” Breuer said. “As a soldier, I’m looking at the worst-case scenario and saying that by 2029, we have to be ready. We have to be ready to deter Russia, so it never even thinks about it.”

Asked to elaborate on the intelligence behind the assessment, Breuer cited several indicators he said underpin the threat scenario. He noted that Russia is producing more than 1,000 main battle tanks a year, but that most are not being sent to the front lines in Ukraine and are instead being moved into depots.

“Our analysts observe that new military structures are being established—structures that are oriented toward the West,” Breuer said, adding that Russia was building new garrisons, barracks and bases along its western border.

“Strategically speaking, an arsenal is always accompanied by a specific intention,” he said. “If you take this intention and combine it with the actual capabilities present on the ground, then, in my view, this constitutes a realistic threat scenario—something we must counter.”