Putin might steamroll NATO defences ‘within days’ with tiny military of 15,000 males
A terrifying war simulation has revealed the Russian army could plough through Nato’s defences in just a few days due to the alliances’ reluctance to issue Article 5
Defence experts have warned Putin could break through Nato with a tiny army of just 15,000 men(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
A Russian offensive could steamroll over Nato’s defences with a miniscule army of just 15,000 troops, European experts have warned.
War games simulating a Russian assault on the alliance have revealed Putin could achieve victory in Europe only days after launching an attack. The exercise conducted by former German and Nato officials has led to security experts warning Russia could be positioned to execute a devastating attack on NATO in just a mere 12 months.
The war simulation is conducted in a hypothetical conflict unfolding in October 2026 where the Russians are attempting to capture the city Marijampole, Lithuanian. The simulation revealed Putin would only need 15,000 troops to establish control over the Baltic country. Military expert Franz-Stefan Gady, adopting the role of the Russian Chief of the General Staff war simulation, said the game saw the US decline to activate Nato’s Article 5. Because of this all NATO members failed to defend Lithuania from the Russian assault.
The game saw Poland activate its forces however the European country decided against deploying its troops to defend the Baltic state. Alongside Poland the simulation found Germany would be reluctant to respond against the Russia advances.
Franz-Stefan Gady, a military analyst based in Vienna said: “Deterrence depends not only on capabilities, but on what the enemy believes about our will, and in the wargame my ‘Russian colleagues’ and I knew: Germany will hesitate. And this was enough to win.
“Russia doesn’t need to invade Lithuania, Latvia, or Estonia. It can establish so-called fire control from Belarus and Kaliningrad.”
Bartłomiej Kot, a Polish security analyst and former acting Polish prime minister, warned Nato’s response would be focused on de-escalation when dealing with provocation from Putin.
The expert wanted: “The Russians achieved most of their goals without moving many of their own units. What this showed to me is that once we are confronted by the escalatory narrative from the Russian side, we have it embedded in our thinking that we are the ones who should be de-escalating.”
Alongside this frightening security game, the Netherlands’ defence minister, Ruben Brekelmans, has announced – according to its own assessments – “Russia will be able to move large amounts of troops within one year.”
The expert added: “We see that they are already increasing their strategic inventories, and are expanding their presence and assets along the NATO borders,” making the events seen in the simulation plausible in only a years time.
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