A German MP and defense expert has warned that Vladimir Putin will "continue his raids" if he secures a victory in Ukraine. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, an MP from the liberal FDP party and chair of the Defence Committee at the Bundestag, has called for Germany to mobilize its "900,000 reservists," asserting that Russia's "attack against us has already begun."
Strack-Zimmermann emphasized that Moscow is fully prepared for war and urged Germany to get ready to face threats from the east. She stated to the Funke Media Group: "Putin is preparing his people for war and positioning them against the West. We must therefore become capable of defending ourselves as quickly as possible."
She also claimed that Russia "only produces weapons" and that its school books "portray Germany as the aggressor." Stressing the importance of activating Germany's reservists, she said: "If we could recruit just half of them with their corresponding expertise, that would be an incredible asset."
Germany, according to Strack-Zimmermann, has "roughly 900,000 reservists," though the Bundeswehr has not registered soldiers who retired from active service for decades. All former military service members and soldiers who have served for extended periods are considered reservists, except those who were in East Germany's armed forces and did not join the Bundeswehr after reunification.
She further stated that Russia's attack on Germany "has already begun," referencing the hybrid warfare tactics that Russia has been accused of using against various European nations, such as cyber attacks and manipulating the refugee crisis. Speaking on the conflict in Ukraine, Strack-Zimmermann warned that Putin would "continue his raids" if he is allowed to win, potentially targeting other nations.
Her call to action came weeks after Patrick Sensburg, chairman of the German Reservists Association, proposed systematically recording the health status and availability of former soldiers and allowing them to train again.
Earlier this year, amidst fears that Russia's ambitions might extend beyond Ukraine, Germany pledged for the first time to meet the 2 percent military spending target set for all NATO members.
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