The advantage is not in technology, but in scale<\/p>\n
General Pud\u0101ns explained that Moscow does not have better drones than NATO countries. But it produces them in much larger numbers and adapts more quickly.<\/p>\n
“Their advantage is the scalability of drones. They are able to quickly replenish the stocks, to have big numbers on a big scale,” the general said.<\/p>\n
Most NATO military modernization programs will not take effect until around 2029. According to Pud\u0101ns, this period is potentially dangerous.<\/p>\n
“If I were in the Kremlin, I would say if we do something, then we should do it by the end of 2028,” he said.<\/p>\n
A senior defense official from one NATO country expressed a similar view. In his opinion, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has at least two reasons to act sooner: uncertainty over US policy after Trump and rising defense budgets in Europe.<\/p>\n
Combat experience as an advantage<\/p>\n
Both sides in the war in Ukraine use thousands of drones every day. But, according to the article, Russia has gained an advantage through constant battlefield experimentation and the rapid improvement of technologies in combat conditions.<\/p>\n
NATO forces currently have far less experience. Last month, during British Army exercises that simulated a war scenario in Estonia, commanders predicted that drone supplies would run out in less than a week.<\/p>\n
The threat of hybrid attacks is already here<\/p>\n
Pud\u0101ns distinguished between two levels of threat. A large-scale invasion is currently unrealistic because Russia is occupied with Ukraine. However, hybrid actions\u2014 sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation \u2014 could occur at any moment.<\/p>\n
“We live with the assumption that aggression in some form could happen already tonight,” the general emphasized.<\/p>\n