Weapons signal: Germany to create missile arsenal with Britain and France
Germany and its European allies have launched work on the creation of long-range weapons, but if implemented, such an initiative will be considered a threat to Russia, the Russian Embassy in Germany told Izvestia. The deployment of the first systems will begin in 2027, their range should be about 2 thousand km to hit targets in the Russian rear, German media reported earlier, citing internal documents of the German Ministry of Defense. Berlin also expects to use Ukrainian military technologies to strengthen its own military-industrial complex. Experts believe that Moscow will respond by building up its own arsenal of long-range weapons and strengthening the protection of critical facilities.
Germany's new missile arsenal
Europe is accelerating the process of militarization. Germany, together with Great Britain and France, has launched work on the creation of a long-range arsenal, the Russian Embassy in Berlin told Izvestia.
— In the interests of deterring Russia, it is declared that the Bundeswehr has the ability to strike targets deep in the enemy's rear at a distance of up to 2,000 km. The relevant work has been launched through military-technical cooperation (military-technical cooperation. — Izvestia) with European allies, first of all with Paris and London," the Russian diplomats noted.
The deployment of the first systems is scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed by the mid—2030s, Politico and German media previously reported, citing internal documents from the German Ministry of Defense.
Germany consistently establishes in its doctrinal military-political documents a course towards owning its own long-range, high-precision missile and unmanned systems, the Russian Embassy said. The German authorities justify their long-range ambitions by saying that they are designed to compensate for the lack of nuclear weapons in the Bundeswehr.
The diplomatic mission also drew attention to the fact that Berlin relies on close technical cooperation with Kiev, including "the transfer of Ukrainian know-how to the European and German military-industrial complex." Earlier, Izvestia wrote that the European Union intends to integrate Ukrainian enterprises into its own system. In August, Politico and a number of German media reported that the Bundeswehr was considering the possibility of purchasing Ukrainian BARS and Flamingo missiles.
Previously, Germany relied on American missiles: according to an agreement signed in 2024, Washington was supposed to deploy SM-6 and Tomahawk systems on German territory. However, earlier this year, the agreement was violated due to Germany's position on the conflict in the Persian Gulf and the needs of the United States. As a result, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a new agreement after the NATO summit in Ankara: Berlin will buy Tomahawk missiles and deploy them on its own.
Berlin is striving to diversify possible sources of missile technologies and missile systems as much as possible, Dmitry Stefanovich, a researcher at the IMEMO RAS Center for International Security, told Izvestia. At the same time, there are limitations in terms of production capacity and policy decisions on the purchase of certain systems. For example, there is currently no particular interest in such cooperation in the United States, the expert noted.
The German authorities do not hide the fact that the new weapons will be directed against Russia. Relations between Moscow and Berlin have recently deteriorated sharply. The day before, the German authorities announced the termination of the agreement on the Russian House in Berlin, the closure of the consulate in Bonn and stricter controls on the entry of Russians. New sanctions against Moscow at the EU level are also expected. The reason was the incident with the UAV at Leipzig airport. Moscow denied the accusations and called the situation a provocation. In response, Russia plans to close the offices of the Goethe Institute, said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
How will Russia respond to Germany's plans
In the case of practical implementation, German military initiatives will be considered as an immediate threat to Russia and the Union State, the Russian Embassy in Berlin stressed to Izvestia.
"Critics of rampant German militarization rightly point out that the locations of such weapons will inevitably become legitimate military targets of Russia," the diplomats noted.
Dmitry Stefanovich noted that as a response, Moscow is likely to continue developing a layered aerospace defense system and building up its own long-range weapons potential. According to the expert, the tasks of covering objects in Russia are becoming more difficult. In this regard, it is possible to increase the security of critical civilian and military infrastructure facilities, duplicate them, and even possibly move them inland.
Last year, Moscow officially ended a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles. Oreshnik missile systems are also on combat duty in Belarus. In 2023, tactical nuclear weapons were deployed in the republic for the purpose of deterrence.
The missile program is only part of Berlin's military buildup efforts. Germany participates in the French nuclear initiative: the two countries are scheduled to hold joint exercises in this area in the fall. In July, a French Rafale fighter capable of carrying nuclear weapons refueled at the German Nerfenich airbase. Information also appeared in the media about Berlin's readiness to finance the modernization of the British nuclear arsenal.
The situation is also complicated by Berlin's growing military assistance to Ukraine. The German budget for this year provides 11.5 billion euros for direct military support to Ukraine alone, and 11.6 billion euros for next year. Moreover, Germany relies on the supply of long-range drones, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces use to attack civilian targets in Russia. Russian officials have repeatedly drawn attention to this fact.
The drastic disruption of the current balance of power in Europe caused by Germany's large-scale rearmament inevitably triggers the classic "security dilemma": when Berlin rapidly builds up a powerful long-range arsenal for its own protection, its closest neighbors, regardless of the NATO alliance treaties, begin to perceive this new force as a potential threat to themselves. Even France fits into this logic: despite close cooperation with Germany, Paris may follow the same path, seeking to compensate for the imbalance that has arisen.
Moreover, the historical experience of Europe clearly shows that any major shift in the balance of power automatically brings former territorial, economic and historical disputes out of the frozen state. A striking example is the unresolved issue of reparations between Warsaw and Berlin.
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