Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumArmy Commander Tells NATO Country to Prepare for War With Russia
The commander of the Dutch army on Thursday called on the Netherlands to become better prepared for a potential future war with Russia.
"The Netherlands should be seriously afraid of war, and our society should prepare for it...Russia is getting stronger, " Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen, commander of the Royal Netherlands Army, said in an interview with the newspaper De Telegraaf.
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Wijnen, who is stepping down from his role as the top general for the Dutch army on January 1, said the Netherlands should follow the example of other countries that lie close to Russia. He cited military preparations made by nations such as Sweden, Finland https://www.newsweek.com/army-commander-tells-nato-country-prepare-war-russia-1856340and the Baltic states
https://www.newsweek.com/army-commander-tells-nato-country-prepare-war-russia-1856340
Since he didn't point out much in the way of specific threats and it was just this one Dutch general, I don't know if this will stand up or his superiors will have strong words with him for scaring people unnecessarily.
Still, reports are that Kaliningrad has been armed to the teeth.
montanacowboy
(6,286 posts)due to lack of US Support, Russia will be ready to march and will bulldoze Poland and it's back to the future. We simply must give Ukraine every resource they need and then some. I can imagine a war in Europe - I lived through it as a child during the 40's. We had blackouts and rationing and all the men went to war. As kids we had paper drives, bought stamps for war bonds, were terribly patriotic. It all depends on the aid we can give Ukraine and with this idiot republican congress I can't see it happening. They have no idea what a whirlwind they are conjuring. Stupid Saps.
OAITW r.2.0
(28,236 posts)Has to be, because apparently, they are taking orders from Putin/Trump.
Cheezoholic
(2,595 posts)Between arming Belarus with tactical nukes and Hungary to their west. Dont think for a second Hungary wont play a huge role in blocking aid and/or sending troops into western Poland. That Rat in the middle of NATO is trouble.
Duncanpup
(13,657 posts)They are building a strong or have been building a strong army that is well equipped and capable.
Cheezoholic
(2,595 posts)There seems to be an overall yawn over the war in Ukraine right now. The fact these fucking traitors in our congress are playing pickle ball for Putin is letting Russia grow glass balls and forcing the hands of the most vulnerable nations from a defensive to a proactive stance. Whatever is going on in the Middle East is causing misdirection from the giant cluster fuck of TNT millimeters from a lit Ohio Blue Tip match in Europe.
Warpy
(113,130 posts)because Putin is totally bonkers, willing to muscle flex all over the place because he's god's anointed to restore the glorious Russian Empire.
He'll get his clock cleaned and it will be done with conventional weapons and when his north Atlantic fleed follows nearly a quarter of his Baltic Sea fleet to the bottom of the ocean, maybe the movers and shakers will realize there's something even worse than a power vacuum and act accordingly. Any attempted blockade of Finland and the Baltic states won't last long.
Bucky
(55,334 posts)It's sad that the West and Russia are falling into another Cold War, that so much national treasure will have to be sidetracked into preparing for a hopelessly unwinnable war.
But it's sadder that so many countries in Nato have a huge backstabbing problem. Both Orban's regime in Hungary and factions of the US Republican Party are full on Fifth Columnists working to help Putin disrupt western unity -- and especially tragic that the non-pro-Putin part of the Republican Party are too chicken to stand up to the Republicans who are willing to knife us in the back to please their theocratic voters.
Warpy
(113,130 posts)and the carnage in Ukraine has been horrendous enough that women are starting to organize.
Stores are still chockablock full of goods, including eggs, but wages are so low that the Russian diet is rapidly going back to Soviet standarts, which were pretty grim. You want affordable eggs, the two block line is over there. Welcome to the new workers' paradise.
Personal loans are skyrocketing and so are defaults. Vodka sales are WAY up.
The country is not doing well, no matter what the outward appearances are. Putin fucked up. I sincerely doubt his insanity will outlive him, although I do see Russia headed for a very rough period as asshole after asshole tries to grab his power in the short term, sort of like what happened to Rome after Nero got whacked and for the same reason.