In view of current developments in Ukraine, the Federal Minister of Defence, Christine Lambrecht, said on Thursday: “Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a drastic breach of international law – there is nothing to compare with it in recent history”. Lambrecht said that so-called national alert measures had also been triggered, based on the decision taken by NATO. As a result, the Federal Armed Forces will therefore be taking preparatory measures in case there is a redeployment of the NATO Response Force. The Minister said she firmly believed NATO would make further demands of the Federal Armed Forces. “We will do whatever is asked of us,” said Lambrecht. However, a redeployment of this kind had not been decided on as yet, she said.

NATO reactions

NATO called on its member states to trigger further action according to its catalogue of crisis response measures. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels that the Alliance had strengthened its defence measures on land, at sea and in the air. “We have more than 100 jets on high alert protecting our airspace. And there are more than 120 Allied ships at sea – from the far north to the Mediterranean.”

The Federal Armed Forces are prepared to act and continue to increase their readiness. This means that the population may have to expect transport restrictions in the next few days due to military movements, since transportation capacity on land, at sea and in the air must be kept available for military purposes.