'If they fight, they will die': Expert warns European armies couldn't survive Russian invasion

The war in Ukraine has been ongoing since February 20, 2022, and so far, it is showing no signs of coming to an end. Ukrainian forces have tried their best to stop Russian advances but have not always succeeded.

However, there are some concerns that Russian forces will eventually advance on other European countries. A military expert recently shared their thoughts on how Europe and NATO would cope with the Russian military attack.

NATO is not prepared if Russian forces attack

Sönke Neitzel, a Professor of military history at Potsdam University, said on November 30, that he doesn’t believe NATO has the logistics or the equipment to respond if Russian forces attack one of the member countries.

He explained that NATO would unlikely win the ‘first battle’ as they wouldn’t be able to deploy enough troops and equipment fast enough, as per The Times.

NATO has previously described Russia as one of the biggest security threats after the Vilnius summit in July but clarified that the alliance ‘does not seek confrontation’.

Europe is also not prepared if Russian forces attack

Professor Neitzel went on to add that European military forces are also unprepared to face the Russian military. He based his example on the German forces and explained that the Bundeswehr (German army) as well as the German economy aren’t prepared for war and would need at least 15 years.

Neitzel compared a Russian invasion to when Napolean ended the Holy Roman Empire and that European forces would be ‘washed away’, as reported by Yahoo News.

He also added that the German troop numbers were declining and are at least 30,000 short of the 203,000 target strength.

Professor Neitzel told the Berlin Security Conference:

We need more money. We need more personnel. And there are limits in politics.

He added:

It’s very clear: if our armed forces are going to fight, they will die without drones, air defences, without enough supplies. Are we now clear enough on our message [to Germany’s leaders]? They are going to die and it’s your responsibility.

Moreover, as per GB News, German defence minister Boris Pistorius believes that Germany should be ‘kriegstüchtig’, which translates to ‘capable of war’. However, 71% of German voters rejected the country’s goal of assuming a ‘leadership role’ in Europe’s defence.

Read more:

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Sources used:

GB News: ‘Russia could 'wash away' Europe's muddled armed forces - 'If they fight, they will die'

The Times: ‘Europe’s muddled armed forces ‘could be washed away by Russia’

Yahoo News: ‘Europe unprepared for war with Russia and could be dismantled like the Holy Roman Empire – The Times’