General Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart, the commander of NATO’s Multinational Corps Northeast, based in Szczecin, Poland, offered a comprehensive assessment of the current security situation on NATO’s eastern flank, specifically praising the Polish border services for their effectiveness in countering provocations from Belarus and Russia.
In his interview with El Mundo, the German commander also praised border officers from Lithuania and Latvia for safeguarding NATO’s eastern frontiers. He highlighted the influx of illegal immigrants, fueled by the Kremlin and Minsk regime, as a “hybrid operation” and the most significant threat on NATO’s eastern flank.
The general critically addressed the tactic employed by Belarus and Russia of pushing immigrants across the border. He described this as a strategy to undermine the unity and integrity of the EU and NATO, using immoral and brutal methods.
In response to Russia’s hybrid operations, Finland has decided to close its entire border with Russia, allowing only the transportation of goods. This decision reflects the ongoing threat to NATO’s eastern flank states, which border Russia and its ally Belarus. However, von Sandrart noted that some Russian military leaders’ expectations of an unchallenged attack on a NATO member are mistaken.
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, he emphasized that Russian military forces remain strong and pose a threat to Central European countries. He called for continued support for Ukraine from allies, asserting that “Russia wants to wait” until Western aid to Kyiv is halted.
“NATO has already proven that it is capable of quickly and significantly reinforcing its eastern flank, adopting a defensive posture when necessary, and is prepared to act against any type of attack against our integrity,” he emphasized.
