Assistant Secretary General: NATO is fully capable of defending itself against Russia

NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Boris Ruge has assured the public that the Alliance is sufficiently powerful today to defend itself against Russian aggression.

Boris Ruge noted in an interview with LRT that since 2014, when Russia first invaded Ukraine and occupied Crimea, NATO's main task has been to enhance deterrence and defence. 

"So, over the past ten years, we've been working on better deterring Russia and, if necessary, defending against any kind of Russian aggression," said the NATO Assistant Secretary-General.

He added that Russia is currently considered the number one threat to the Alliance, and that NATO has a comprehensive set of military plans for deterrence and defence.

Ruge emphasised that NATO takes the support of allies on the eastern flank and protection against any possible aggression very seriously. "Ultimately, NATO, soon to have 32 members, is a very powerful alliance. We have very strong economies and cutting-edge technologies. We are fully capable of defending ourselves against Russian aggression," Ruge said.

On 15 January, the Bild publication reported that it gained access to a secret Bundeswehr document – a training scenario that step by step describes how a military conflict between Russia and NATO could unfold. The scenario outlines the actions of Russia and the West month by month, culminating in the deployment of hundreds of thousands of NATO soldiers and the inevitable onset of war in the summer of 2025.

Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Center of Excellence for Strategic Communications, said that the story by the German tabloid Bild, which says NATO is preparing for war with Russia, is based on a training scenario document.

The Office of the President of Lithuania and the Ministry of National Defence of the country, against the backdrop of Bild's publication, stated that they are not changing their assessment of the threats in the region.