Germany is preparing for an armed conflict against Russia, according to Bild newspaper that attributed the information to classified documents it accessed from the German defence ministry. The outlet claimed that Russia could expand the war on Ukraine by attacking NATO ally countries next year, pointing towards the possible beginning of World War 3. The report comes as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine nears the two-year mark. However, Russian officials refused to comment on the Bild report, accusing it of being "fake".
The report also alleged that armed forces in Europe are preparing for an attack by Russia on NATO's eastern flank, which could include a cyber offensive.
In this scenario, called the "Alliance Defence 2024", the escalation will begin in just a few weeks and tens of thousands of German soldiers will be sent to the battlefield, Bild further said quoting defence minister sources.
Since the funding from the West is diminishing, Russian forces will attack Ukrainian troops in a "spring offensive", as per the German outlet.
It also described step by step, month by month, how Russian forces will proceed and how NATO will defend its allies.
The clashes will escalate in September, according to the classified documents, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch a large-scale military exercise involving about 50,000 Russian troops in Western Russia and Belarus.
According to the documents, Russia could then mobilise troops and mid-range missiles to Kaliningrad, which is a Russian territory located in between the NATO countries of Poland and Lithuania.
Bild also said that by December, Russia could use the US presidential election as an opportunity to spread its propaganda and fuel more violence.
The document said NATO would take "measures for credible deterrence" by May 2025, in response to the build-up of Russian troops, and to prevent combat between Russian and Western troops.
Russian news agency TASS asked Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov about the report, but he chose not to comment on it. "Recently, this newspaper has regularly stooped to publishing various fake news items and canards," Mr Peskov further said.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the report as "last year's horoscope".
