The head of Germany's federal intelligence services (BND) warned on Monday that Russia is ready to enter into direct military conflict with NATO.
Speaking before the parliamentary control committee in the Bundestag in Berlin, Martin Jäge said that "Moscow believes it has a realistic chance of extending its sphere of influence westward and making Europe, which is economically much more powerful, dependent on Russia."
Jäge, who has been president of the BND since 15 September added that "to achieve this goal, Russia will not hesitate, if necessary, to enter into direct military conflict with NATO."
He added: "We must not rest on our laurels, thinking that a possible Russian attack will not take place before 2029 at the earliest. We are already in the thick of it today."
The warning comes after a series of incidents in Europe in recent weeks, such as the incursion of Russian drones into Poland and the violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian fighter jets.
Germany, for its part, has been the victim of drone overflights, sabotage, and disinformation and influence campaigns, with Moscow's shadow looming over these events.
"At best, Europe is experiencing a cold peace that could degenerate into violent confrontation at any moment. We must prepare for a further deterioration of the situation," said Jäger.
Sinan Selen, president of the German domestic intelligence service (BfV), who was also heard on Monday, agreed: "Russia is aggressively pursuing its political ambitions against Germany, the EU and its Western allies."
"The Russian services are constantly changing the levels of escalation of their activities with the strategic aim of weakening liberal democracies. As a result, we are detecting a wide range of espionage, disinformation, interference, sabotage and cyber attacks carried out by foreign actors and states in Germany," he said.
"Russia has not forgotten the Cold War," he added, "which means that the instruments used at that time are still available."
