German commentators believe that only an effective scapering policy is able to stop Russia's aggressive policy; However, you need a change in the mentality of the Germans and the recognition that the war has already begun.
“Putin has no reason to be afraid of NATO,” writes Christoph von Marschall in “Tagesspieglu.” The current situation in the world is for the President of Russia a “invitation to check how far it can go.” Only reliable deterrence, also from Germany, can stop him – believes the commentator of the diary published in Berlin. Marschall called his countrymen to change the mentality and recognize the fact that the war with Russia had already begun.
“What has been unthinkable for decades has now become real again – the involvement of Germany in a war in Europe. On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, Poland neighboring Germany shot down Russian drones over its territory,” writes the author.
The actions of the Russian army are approaching (to Germany) – in 2008 it was Georgia, in 2014 Crimea and a hybrid war in Ukraine, from 2022 a full -ant attack in order to subordinate all Ukraine. Next week, “Zapad” maneuvers begin in Belarus. At Putin's order, his army will practice an attack on NATO's eastern flank.
Another Lithuania?
“For Germany, this scenario is particularly dangerous,” said Marschall. Lithuania would be the most likely purpose of the attack, where Bundeswehr soldiers are stationed. The German brigade is too small to effectively deter Russia. By attacking Lithuania, Putin can cut off the three Baltic countries with NATO area and create a bridge to the Russian exclava – Königsberg. Putin has repeatedly announced what is his goal – the reconstruction of the Soviet rule of rule, currently as a Russian empire – we read in “Tagesspieglu”.
“It is high time for German politics, but also citizens to take Putin's words and deeds seriously and prepare for war,” writes Marschall. In his opinion, only reliable deterrence can prevent war. The condition, however, is a “mental phrase” in a German society, consisting in “recognizing reality instead of wishful thinking.” “The brutal truth is that Putin's war has already begun,” emphasized the German journalist.
Putin has been ordering hybrid attacks on the German internet network, offices, industry and public services for years. Russian ships break the cables and damage the pipelines. Mysterious drones spy on German barracks, and Russian aircraft violate the airspace – says the commentator. In his opinion, these facts do not reach the awareness of the inhabitants of Germany, who believe that “until soldiers shoot at each other, we live in peace.” “It's a mistake,” he emphasized.
Putin has no reason to be afraid of European NATO countries. Russia has a significant advantage in terms of the number of soldiers, the production of weapons and ammunition reserves. She would win a war against Lithuania in 10 days. The opponent that Putin is afraid of are the United States, but President Donald Trump “divorced” security guarantees. “It's an invitation to Putin to test how far he can go,” writes Marschall.
The tracks of drones through Poland belong to the experiments with which Putin tests European preparation, determination and response time. Like cyber attacks for Germany or destroying cables in the Baltic. “The consequences for Germany are unpleasant but indispensable – we must learn to repel again,” writes Marschall in conclusion.
Attack on Poland with a turning point?
The attack of Russian drones on Poland is “a turning point in Europeans' approach to the Russian deposit war against Ukraine,” write Philipp Fritz and Pavel Lokshin in a commentary published on the portal of the Die Welt daily.
The authors pointed out that the incidents with the participation of Russian drones had previously occurred, but for the first time combat fighters were used to combat them.
“The incident exposed the fundamental weakness of European anti -aircraft defense,” the commentators said. As they pointed out, Polish aviation had to send its F-16 and use the help of Dutch F-35to shoot down “not a large number of cheap drones from Russian mass production”.
According to “Die Welt”, a anti -aircraft system arranged on earth should be enough to shoot down Russian drones. Expensive anti-aircraft rockets such as Patriot or Iris-T battery are not a convenient instrument for fighting against cheap drones. Russia produces 150-170 Shahed drones a day. No NATO country currently has a system adapted to combat them.
According to Die Welt, the incident in Poland also has a political dimension. The violation of the Polish Air Zone took place after the visit of President Karol Nawrocki to Washington. Trump assured the Polish president that he would not withdraw American soldiers from Poland, and maybe even increase their number if Polish would like it.
During the last attack of Polish territory, however, Americans, but Poles, Dutch and Italians did not defend. Trump's reaction will be a test for Nawrocki's foreign policy, which in the security policy focuses more on America than Europeans – we read in the conclusion.
Russia's greatest clash from NATO since the outbreak of the war
The violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones is the biggest clash between Russia and NATO since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – commented on Wednesday the Spanish daily “El Pais”.
“Russia once again testing NATO boundaries and the ability of allies to respond to its aggression and provocations,” wrote the newspaper.
In her opinion, the shooting down of Russian drones, which violated the airspace of Poland, “one of the most powerful members of the North Atlantic Alliance” is a “most serious clash” between NATO and Russia since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“All this happens when Warsaw and other European countries are trying to develop some security guaranteeswhich can offer Ukraine after a possible suspension of weapons and concluding a peace agreement ” – reminded” El Pais “.
According to the newspaper, how the alliance will react, it will also determine the Kremlin's future activities. The incident with the drones “even more pushes Eastern European neighbors of Russia in the direction of militarization,” added the Spanish daily.
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