NATO's Eastern Flank Countries Are Preparing to Repel a Russian Attack on Their Own – Politico

Countries on NATO’s eastern flank are expanding their armies, building large-scale defense lines, and preparing to rely primarily on their own forces in the early days of a potential conflict with Russia, given the uncertainty surrounding the U.S. position. 

Journalists from the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network investigated the readiness of the three most vulnerable sections of the European border—Finland, Poland, and Lithuania. The impetus for the accelerated fortification of the borders was uncertainty regarding Washington’s position: U.S. President Donald Trump has questioned the effectiveness of NATO’s Article 5, and following the recent war in Iran, the U.S. even threatened to reconsider its membership in the alliance due to European allies’ refusal to support that conflict. 

At the same time, satellite images show an increase in Russia’s military presence and infrastructure development near European borders.

In Finland, which shares the longest land border with Russia, military and political leaders are deliberately not counting on immediate assistance from allies and are preparing to absorb the initial strike on their own, using the harsh climate and dense forests to their advantage. Poland is implementing a large-scale fortification project called “Eastern Shield,” costing about 10 billion euros, and is also accelerating the development of its own drone-countermeasure system, SAN, following an incident in which 19 Russian drones breached its defenses. The situation remains most challenging in the Baltic states, which, due to their lack of territorial depth, have no room to maneuver. In a worst-case scenario involving the blockade of the Suwalki Corridor, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia would have to conduct autonomous defensive operations for up to two weeks while awaiting reinforcements from distant alliance members.

Source: Politico.

Before meeting with an American delegation consisting of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, dictator Putin stated that Russia is allegedly ready to go to war with Europe but has no such intention.

In the event of a Russian attack on NATO members, the Alliance could launch a preemptive strike against targets on Russian territory, according to Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy considers it entirely possible that Russia could open a second front against another European country even before the war in Ukraine ends.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russian army could attack a NATO member state within the next five years. This would test the Alliance’s resilience.