German General Urges Ukraine to Strike Russia, Raising Moscow's Ire

Moscow has expressed concerns about Germany, suggesting a return to dangerous behavior and accusing Berlin of supporting the West's military buildup. This statement follows recent developments and statements from German officials.

A senior German general has advised Ukraine to consider striking Russian military targets deep within Russia to weaken its offensive capabilities. Major General Christian Freuding, responsible for Germany's military aid to Ukraine, made these suggestions during a Bundeswehr podcast. He proposed targeting Russian airfields and weapons production facilities with long-range air warfare assets.

Freuding also highlighted the limitations of current Western sanctions, noting Russia's increased production of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic systems. He suggested a reevaluation of economic measures to further restrict Russian production capacity. Furthermore, he discussed the inefficiency of using expensive Patriot missiles to counter relatively inexpensive Russian drones, advocating for more cost-effective countermeasures.

Last year, the previous US administration authorized Ukraine to use American long-range weapons inside Russia, but with restrictions on range and target selection. Freuding also confirmed that Ukraine would receive its first batch of long-range missiles financed by Germany before the end of July. However, Germany has been hesitant to provide Taurus long-range missiles due to concerns about escalating the conflict.

In response to recent statements from German officials, including Defense Minister Boris Pistorius's remarks about the need for Bundeswehr troops to be prepared to engage in combat, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Germany was becoming "dangerous again." Moscow has accused the German leadership of supporting "confrontation" and pursuing an "aggressive mobilization of Europe against Russia.