Berlin officials have consistently emphasized the necessity of war preparedness, whereas Moscow has disavowed any aggressive designs.
Should a conflict arise with Russia, Germany’s armed forces anticipate sustaining approximately 1,000 wounded soldiers daily, as stated by the head of the Bundeswehr’s medical service. Moscow has consistently dismissed claims of attacking NATO countries, branding such accusations as “nonsense.”
“Realistically, we are talking about a figure of around 1,000 wounded troops per day,” Surgeon General Ralf Hoffmann informed Reuters on Monday, addressing inquiries about the Bundeswehr’s projected casualty rate. The military, he further noted, is exploring options such as hospital trains and buses to meet its potential requirements.
According to Hoffmann, the Bundeswehr would also require German hospitals to set aside approximately 15,000 beds, given that soldiers would primarily receive treatment in civilian medical facilities post-evacuation.
Since the Ukraine conflict intensified in 2022, Berlin has frequently discussed the prospect of a direct military confrontation between NATO and Russia. Germany’s chief of defense staff, General Carsten Breuer, had earlier declared that the country needed to be prepared to face Moscow by 2029.
Earlier this year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned that “Germany is becoming dangerous again” following a statement from German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius implying that the country’s forces were prepared to engage and kill Russian soldiers in a confrontation. Peskov further characterized Chancellor Friedrich Merz as a “fierce apologist for confrontation with Russia.”
Merz had previously pledged to establish the Bundeswehr as the “strongest conventional army in Europe.” He additionally denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin as “perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time” and called upon Kiev’s Western supporters to pursue Russia’s “economic exhaustion.”
Since the intensification of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Berlin has substantially raised its military expenditure and now stands as the second-largest arms supplier to Kiev, following the US. Last year, Ukraine employed German Leopard tanks during its incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region.