Denmark urges NATO to prepare as Russia's military threat escalates, warns of potential attack in 3‑5 years

The Danish Defense Minister highlighted that new intelligence, implying a potential threat from Russia, brings a new perspective to the situation. "This wasn't accounted for in NATO's 2023 assessment. This is fresh information that is just coming to light," he explained.

Poulsen highlighted that this shift in threat assessment occurred after other NATO countries expressed similar concerns in recent weeks. For instance, the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, stated in January that NATO should prepare for a Russian attack within five to eight years.

Poulsen stressed that while Denmark is not under direct threat, the North Atlantic Alliance could be a potential target of hybrid attacks from Russia. Such attacks would destabilize the situation in one of the member countries.

Pistorius concurred with this stance, adding that Russia may have the ambition and might now also possess the military capacity to do so. "Russia potentially has such an intention. It might also have the capability to acquire military prowess earlier than anticipated. There are genuine reasons for concern," Pistorius posited.