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Russia‘s acts of sabotage against Western targets may eventually prompt NATO to consider invoking the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defence clause, the head of Germany‘s foreign intelligence service said.
Bundesnachrichtendienst chief Bruno Kahl said during an event of the DGAP think tank in Berlin on Wednesday that he expected Moscow to further step up its hybrid warfare, which could eventually trigger the NATO clause.
‘The extensive use of hybrid measures by Russia increases the risk that NATO will eventually consider invoking its Article 5 mutual defence clause,’ Kahl noted.
‘At the same time, the increasing ramp up of the Russian military potential means a direct military confrontation with NATO becomes one possible option for the Kremlin.’
Under Article 5, if a NATO member comes under attack, the other members of the alliance are obliged to help it respond. Kahl said that Russia’s military would likely be capable of …