Russia rebuilding: Experts warn of potential NATO threat in 10 years
3:32 PM EDT, July 25, 2024
Russia will need about a decade to rebuild its army after the war in Ukraine, according to Western military officials and experts. One commander does not rule out that within a few years, Russia will have the strength and resources to attack NATO territory.
"The point here is when you think they [Russians] are down, they will come roaring back to get their vengeance," said the new Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, Gen. Roland Walker, at a conference at the Royal United Services Institute.
Admiral Tony Radakin, the commander of the British Army, believes that Russia will take a long time to recover after the war.
"Our assessments are that it will take Putin five years to reconstitute the Russian army to where it was in February 2022," he said.
Will the war economy bear fruit?
Other military officials are concerned about Russia's technological development. At the very beginning of the war, Ukrainians had the advantage, particularly in the use of drones. Currently, the roles have reversed, and Russia has redirected its efforts to a war economy.
"Its industry produces 1,000 to 1,500 tanks annually. The five largest European NATO countries have only half that amount in their arsenals," said Bundeswehr commander Gen. Carsten Breuer in an interview with "Tagesspiegel." He argues that within "5-8 years" Moscow will have sufficient resources to carry out an attack on NATO territory.
However, Ukrainians argue that these estimates of producing over a thousand tanks are untrue. They claim many are old machines being refurbished or modernized. They point out that this can be seen at the front, where older and older machines are appearing.
