The chief of staff of the Belgian army fears a war with Russia. He says Europe must do more to prepare. Former Army Commander in Chief Mart de Kruif agrees: “Putin doesn’t listen to reason, only power.”
Admiral Michel Hofman of the Belgian Army warns that Russia has switched to a war economy, which is now running at full speed.
Mart De Kruif sees that too: “Putin is now producing tanks, ammunition and drones 24 hours a day, and that is only going to increase,” the former lieutenant general tells RTL News. “Moreover, they are modern tanks,” he warns.
While some believe that Russia will not venture into conflict with NATO, Hofman and De Kruif warn that we cannot count on it. De Kruif: “Putin sees military intervention as a legitimate means. He does not listen to reason, only power.”
Although Russia is suffering major losses in Ukraine, this need not weaken the Russian military in the long run. On the contrary, the senior military warns.
“Russia will eventually regenerate the war machine and rebuild armed forces,” Hofman told Flemish VRT NWS.
De Kruif also thinks Russia will only get stronger in the long run. “They are learning a lot of lessons from the war with Ukraine. You learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. The quality of the Russian army will only increase, despite the huge losses.”
According to De Kruif, it is therefore important for Europe to build a coherent foreign and security policy, with a clear long-term vision. “We have a capable defense industry,” he said. But you can’t just start up a production line for, say, grenades. Something like that takes years.
Earlier, Belgian General Marc Thys expressed concern about the ammunition shortage in Europe. “If a war breaks out here today, the Belgian army will have to start throwing stones after only a few hours, because we are out of ammunition,” Thys said.
Dependent on U.S.
In the short term, Europe remains heavily dependent on the U.S., De Kruif sees. “That is now the only stick we have to fend off Russia,” he said.
According to De Kruif, defense against the Russian threat is crucial. “We often talk here about how to distribute our prosperity. But this is about how to preserve our prosperity. That question is fundamental to the future.
Yeah, yeah, we’re preparing. At least we in Baltic states. If those cannibals decide to test NATO, it will be on our territory. Let’s hope for the best but better to be prepared.
These are retired generals. They can say anything. There will be no war, calm down
Even though I don’t think Putin is dumb enough to attack NATO outright, the invasion of Ukraine seemed just as daft when it happened. And let’s not forget that article 5 applies when a NATO member is attacked – who’s to say what will happen once russia stages a false flag attack from the Baltics a’la the Gliewitz incident, which is what Putin most certainly would do, to give the bigger NATO partners enough time to dither on a concentrated response.
I think at least increasing our materiel reserves is probably prudent right now.
We urgently need a European army, it’s embarrassing how restricted we are when there’s a war literally on our doorstep or how we have gone with the begging bowl again to the US to take action against a terrorist group trying to disrupt western shipping through the Suez canal.
A smattering of recent headlines, on the theme of “European countries must take their own defence far more seriously.”
“Europe Must Urgently Prepare to Deter Russia Without Large-Scale US Support”
They can prepare all they want, I ain’t gonna fight. Imagine dying in some swamp in Eastern Europe
“warn” of war? If nobody has noticed we ARE at war right now. The only thing we haven’t done yet is send troops, otherwise we’re in an open war against the east and the sooner we admit it to ourselves the sooner we’ll win.
Can we be real for a second? How the fuck would Russia deal with a united european front? The equipment we have NOW, should be enough to take the fight to Moscow in less than 24 hours?
Finland: we know, we’ve been preparing for half a century.
Thanks Schröder and Merkel!
You don’t have any miracle aircraft that will win the war for you. You don’t have super soldiers who will die for you.
After the war in Ukraine Russia will give an ultimatum to the EU and if it is not met you will get a war. You have nothing, you’re a pile of shit, unable to produce more munitions than North Korea… The only language of communication you understand is the language of an army boot in your face.
You can bark all you want on the internet, none of you will ever dare to even look a Russian soldier in the eye. You’re dead.
Consider that Russia’s aims are uncontested trade routes. Action in the Baltics would be likely to close the Oresund Strait to Russian shipping almost immediately. I don’t think that is a desirable outcome for Russia or anyone else. It is likely that action around the Black Sea beyond Ukraine would close the Bosporus – also counter productive. When dealing with Russia, the next move is always uncertain but I would expect that action against central Asian states is more likely than any NATO or EU member.
Yay, can’t wait to fight for… high taxes and unaffordable housing… awesome.
Screw preparing. Send stuff to ukraine. Those guys are literally fighting for their lives, and as long as they are fighting, we won’t have to. We can be BOTH a coward (who doesn’t fight and risk getting killed) and even have the ukranians thank us for it. We only have to send money and material, and ukraine will send their blood and lives of their people. It’s such a no-brainer. We can be selfish AND do the good thing.
My nightmare is that Ukraine will be forced to sign some kind of armistice, losing a lot of their land to Russia. That allows Russia to regroup and recoup their losses, then make another move on some other country.
They don’t need to conquer the entire Ukraine. They only need to put their foot in the door, wait a little and then they’ll get what they want. Small steps, small steps.
I honestly doubt that Russia invading a NATO country will trigger the martial response of all the NATO countries. It’ll be *”pourquoi mourir pour Dantzig?”* all over again.
Oh it’s the daily “Putin is coming for us” thread.
Time to bake popcorn.
Europe needs a new big army. And most important army spirit. If you, europeans, will be ready to take guns to kill or die, then there will be no war. If not, then those who are ready will come. We live in a time when we need to put this pacifism crap deep into the ass.
Can we………not?
What the heck is the point even as it is right now…ugh.
Yes,
Europe should prepare for both war with Russia and sending humanitarian aid to Russia when it again will manage to end up with a bare ass for no good reason.
Reason for the shaking?
Ho Gods, no ; we prevented WW3 half a dozen times for about 50 years…
I’m not saying Putin isn’t a psycho, but if I was a military official trying to get additional funding, he’d be my favorite person in the world right now
Theres a reason Poland has been building up their military so much with vehicle purchases. We need to be ready for the inevitable.
I think it’d be enough to just stop complaining and send Zelenskyi everything they need
Every single day there is a thread of country x leader talking about needing to prepare. How about you actually fucking do instead of talking.
If Trump gets elected and pulls out of NATO, the Baltic states are screwed, if not Europe more widely. European defence spending has been complacent and pitiful for decades, and most countries are totally unprepared for an all-out war with Russia, even (or maybe *especially*) major regional powers like Germany. France has a nuclear deterrent, so may escape direct attack itself, but it would not be able to place nearly enough support on the ground in the Baltic area in the event of a Russian land invasion. Certainly not compared to US capabilities.
With the US gone, the UK would have the largest military in NATO (in terms of spending). With a nuclear deterrent, and being an island, it would also be fairly resistant to direct Russian attack. However, as with France, the UK military does not have the capacity to both defend itself *and* provide support to the Baltic area sufficient to defend those states against Russia.
US hegemony has guaranteed security in Europe for decades, but it has also meant many European governments have been caught napping, only having to fight far-away enemies who couldn’t attack further than the range of an RPG. The prospect of having to fight a defensive war close to home has been totally neglected.
Would it be so bad if Russia invaded Europe? We,’d have cheap gas and vodka, and we would finally be an united Europe.
29 comments
The chief of staff of the Belgian army fears a war with Russia. He says Europe must do more to prepare. Former Army Commander in Chief Mart de Kruif agrees: “Putin doesn’t listen to reason, only power.”
Admiral Michel Hofman of the Belgian Army warns that Russia has switched to a war economy, which is now running at full speed.
Mart De Kruif sees that too: “Putin is now producing tanks, ammunition and drones 24 hours a day, and that is only going to increase,” the former lieutenant general tells RTL News. “Moreover, they are modern tanks,” he warns.
While some believe that Russia will not venture into conflict with NATO, Hofman and De Kruif warn that we cannot count on it. De Kruif: “Putin sees military intervention as a legitimate means. He does not listen to reason, only power.”
Although Russia is suffering major losses in Ukraine, this need not weaken the Russian military in the long run. On the contrary, the senior military warns.
“Russia will eventually regenerate the war machine and rebuild armed forces,” Hofman told Flemish VRT NWS.
De Kruif also thinks Russia will only get stronger in the long run. “They are learning a lot of lessons from the war with Ukraine. You learn more from your mistakes than from your successes. The quality of the Russian army will only increase, despite the huge losses.”
According to De Kruif, it is therefore important for Europe to build a coherent foreign and security policy, with a clear long-term vision. “We have a capable defense industry,” he said. But you can’t just start up a production line for, say, grenades. Something like that takes years.
Earlier, Belgian General Marc Thys expressed concern about the ammunition shortage in Europe. “If a war breaks out here today, the Belgian army will have to start throwing stones after only a few hours, because we are out of ammunition,” Thys said.
Dependent on U.S.
In the short term, Europe remains heavily dependent on the U.S., De Kruif sees. “That is now the only stick we have to fend off Russia,” he said.
According to De Kruif, defense against the Russian threat is crucial. “We often talk here about how to distribute our prosperity. But this is about how to preserve our prosperity. That question is fundamental to the future.
Yeah, yeah, we’re preparing. At least we in Baltic states. If those cannibals decide to test NATO, it will be on our territory. Let’s hope for the best but better to be prepared.
These are retired generals. They can say anything. There will be no war, calm down
Even though I don’t think Putin is dumb enough to attack NATO outright, the invasion of Ukraine seemed just as daft when it happened. And let’s not forget that article 5 applies when a NATO member is attacked – who’s to say what will happen once russia stages a false flag attack from the Baltics a’la the Gliewitz incident, which is what Putin most certainly would do, to give the bigger NATO partners enough time to dither on a concentrated response.
I think at least increasing our materiel reserves is probably prudent right now.
We urgently need a European army, it’s embarrassing how restricted we are when there’s a war literally on our doorstep or how we have gone with the begging bowl again to the US to take action against a terrorist group trying to disrupt western shipping through the Suez canal.
A smattering of recent headlines, on the theme of “European countries must take their own defence far more seriously.”
“Europe Must Urgently Prepare to Deter Russia Without Large-Scale US Support”
https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/europe-must-urgently-prepare-deter-russia-without-large-scale-us-support
“Europe’s muddled armed forces ‘could be washed away by Russia'”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/europes-weak-armed-forces-could-be-washed-away-by-russia-bmxbc22gc
“Sinn Féin say Irish reliance on British forces ’embarrassing'”
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/sinn-fein-say-irish-reliance-on-british-forces-embarrassing/
They can prepare all they want, I ain’t gonna fight. Imagine dying in some swamp in Eastern Europe
“warn” of war? If nobody has noticed we ARE at war right now. The only thing we haven’t done yet is send troops, otherwise we’re in an open war against the east and the sooner we admit it to ourselves the sooner we’ll win.
Can we be real for a second? How the fuck would Russia deal with a united european front? The equipment we have NOW, should be enough to take the fight to Moscow in less than 24 hours?
Finland: we know, we’ve been preparing for half a century.
Thanks Schröder and Merkel!
You don’t have any miracle aircraft that will win the war for you. You don’t have super soldiers who will die for you.
After the war in Ukraine Russia will give an ultimatum to the EU and if it is not met you will get a war. You have nothing, you’re a pile of shit, unable to produce more munitions than North Korea… The only language of communication you understand is the language of an army boot in your face.
You can bark all you want on the internet, none of you will ever dare to even look a Russian soldier in the eye. You’re dead.
Consider that Russia’s aims are uncontested trade routes. Action in the Baltics would be likely to close the Oresund Strait to Russian shipping almost immediately. I don’t think that is a desirable outcome for Russia or anyone else. It is likely that action around the Black Sea beyond Ukraine would close the Bosporus – also counter productive. When dealing with Russia, the next move is always uncertain but I would expect that action against central Asian states is more likely than any NATO or EU member.
Yay, can’t wait to fight for… high taxes and unaffordable housing… awesome.
Screw preparing. Send stuff to ukraine. Those guys are literally fighting for their lives, and as long as they are fighting, we won’t have to. We can be BOTH a coward (who doesn’t fight and risk getting killed) and even have the ukranians thank us for it. We only have to send money and material, and ukraine will send their blood and lives of their people. It’s such a no-brainer. We can be selfish AND do the good thing.
If I were Belgian army I would also be fearful.
[Belgian army at home](https://www.reddit.com/r/belgium/s/4PSMIu0ekJ)
My nightmare is that Ukraine will be forced to sign some kind of armistice, losing a lot of their land to Russia. That allows Russia to regroup and recoup their losses, then make another move on some other country.
They don’t need to conquer the entire Ukraine. They only need to put their foot in the door, wait a little and then they’ll get what they want. Small steps, small steps.
I honestly doubt that Russia invading a NATO country will trigger the martial response of all the NATO countries. It’ll be *”pourquoi mourir pour Dantzig?”* all over again.
Oh it’s the daily “Putin is coming for us” thread.
Time to bake popcorn.
Europe needs a new big army. And most important army spirit. If you, europeans, will be ready to take guns to kill or die, then there will be no war. If not, then those who are ready will come. We live in a time when we need to put this pacifism crap deep into the ass.
Can we………not?
What the heck is the point even as it is right now…ugh.
Yes,
Europe should prepare for both war with Russia and sending humanitarian aid to Russia when it again will manage to end up with a bare ass for no good reason.
Reason for the shaking?
Ho Gods, no ; we prevented WW3 half a dozen times for about 50 years…
I’m not saying Putin isn’t a psycho, but if I was a military official trying to get additional funding, he’d be my favorite person in the world right now
Theres a reason Poland has been building up their military so much with vehicle purchases. We need to be ready for the inevitable.
I think it’d be enough to just stop complaining and send Zelenskyi everything they need
Every single day there is a thread of country x leader talking about needing to prepare. How about you actually fucking do instead of talking.
If Trump gets elected and pulls out of NATO, the Baltic states are screwed, if not Europe more widely. European defence spending has been complacent and pitiful for decades, and most countries are totally unprepared for an all-out war with Russia, even (or maybe *especially*) major regional powers like Germany. France has a nuclear deterrent, so may escape direct attack itself, but it would not be able to place nearly enough support on the ground in the Baltic area in the event of a Russian land invasion. Certainly not compared to US capabilities.
With the US gone, the UK would have the largest military in NATO (in terms of spending). With a nuclear deterrent, and being an island, it would also be fairly resistant to direct Russian attack. However, as with France, the UK military does not have the capacity to both defend itself *and* provide support to the Baltic area sufficient to defend those states against Russia.
US hegemony has guaranteed security in Europe for decades, but it has also meant many European governments have been caught napping, only having to fight far-away enemies who couldn’t attack further than the range of an RPG. The prospect of having to fight a defensive war close to home has been totally neglected.
Would it be so bad if Russia invaded Europe? We,’d have cheap gas and vodka, and we would finally be an united Europe.