NATO ‘ready’ for potential Russian false flag attack, alliance’s top general says

NATO is ready to respond to a potential Russian escalation on Europe’s eastern flank, the alliance’s top general Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone said Saturday, amid growing warnings of a possible staged attack by Moscow. 

“The alliance is ready, the structure is ready, the soldiers … the weapons are ready,” Dragone told reporters during a regular meeting of the alliance’s 32 top generals in Copenhagen, adding that NATO was continuing its work in “increasing” these forces “in number … and also in sophistication.”

The remarks follow growing warnings by European leaders about a possible Russian escalation in Europe. On Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Moscow could send drones or missiles into a frontline NATO country in “the next few months” in a staged provocation to test the alliance — a risk that was later echoed by France and the Netherlands.

Europe has grappled with a growing number of airspace violations and sabotage attempts in recent weeks, as tensions with Russia continue to rise over its full-scale war in Ukraine. In August, U.S. intelligence reports warned that Moscow was planning a limited assault on a NATO country in the coming years.

Dragone, the chair of NATO’s military committee, said the alliance’s generals on Saturday did not discuss the latest warnings but argued NATO had “4,000 pages” of military plans ready for protecting its eastern flank, starting from scenarios involving a “minimal crisis or interference [on] our soil.” NATO allies agreed on three operational regional defense plans in 2023 following Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.

Allies are “ready in case of an escalation,” Dragone said. “In case of an attack, we know how to do it.” 

“Russia’s reckless behaviour over the last weeks and months … continues to test allied resolve” and “aims to undermine trust and weaken our unity,” Dragone said, adding: “I want to be clear — these attempts are not dividing us. They are sharpening our tools, making us much more united and determined.”