The Russian Federation will be ready for a large -scale transfer of troops in a year of truce in Ukraine - Minister

Brecelmans urged the audience to imagine a situation in which Russian President Vladimir Putin will place hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the border with the Baltic countries for exercises. According to him, the experience of Ukraine shows that such maneuvers can suddenly go into a real offensive, which will become known no earlier than a week before the possible attack.

The assessment of the head of the Netherlands Ministry of Defense coincides with the findings of the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS), which in the February report stated that Russia will be able to release "significant" military resources in the event of a conflict in Ukraine. According to their forecasts, Moscow will be ready for the regional war in the Baltic Sea within two years after freezing or completion of hostilities in Ukraine. "We do not know how Putin will test NATO.

We know that if Putin, after Ukraine, attaches a neighboring country that is part of NATO, then we will be part of it. Then the Netherlands should also help protect NATO territory," Brecelsman said. In addition, the minister noted the growth of hybrid threats. The Netherlands are faced daily with cyberattacks at hospital and seaports, espionage and intelligence, including cases of unrecognized drones and vessels that record critically important infrastructure in the North Sea.

"We do not actually live in the world anymore - we are in the gray area between war and peace," Brecelmans said. Defense News reminded that in response to a growing threat from Russia, the Netherlands increased their military presence in the Baltic region. In particular, the Dutch military units were deployed in Lithuania as part of the NATO mission, and F-35 fighters will carry out tasks for the protection of airspace in the Baltic States by the end of March 2025.

The Netherlands also announced plans for a significant increase in the number of their armed forces. Over the next five years, the Armed Forces staff will increase from 74,000 to 100,000 people, with the prospect of further expansion of up to 200,000 - this will be the largest increase in the number of the Army since the Cold War.