10 Ways Russia’s Invasion Changed Germany Militarily
10 Ways Russia’s Invasion Changed Germany Militarily
Three years ago, Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Every single day since, the conflict has made headlines around the world. But in the thousands of articles about the conflict, the most important development has been largely ignored.
On Feb. 24, 2022, the day of the invasion, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote, “The most important nation to watch right now is Germany. How will it respond to Putin’s war on Ukraine? This Ukraine war is going to speed up the rise of the prophesied German-led Holy Roman Empire!”
For decades, the late Herbert W. Armstrong warned that Russia’s aggression would stimulate Europe’s militarization. He was right, and in many ways Germany has already transformed. However, more dramatic changes are coming.
1 Be Fearful
Russian President Vladimir Putin is obsessed with restoring the Soviet empire, and he controls the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. As Russia prepared its invasion, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization feared the worst, putting more than 100 warplanes and 120 warships on alert. Germany’s Welt wrote at the time that this was not just a dispute between Russia and Ukraine, but a “declaration of war on Europe.”
Germans fear Russia. After all, this is the power that perpetrated some of the worst brutalities of World War ii against Germany, cut the nation in half, and subjugated East Germany throughout the Cold War.
After three years of warfare, Putin continues to pound Ukraine, and Russia is increasing its focus on militarization. For Europeans, this is terrifying. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned the German Bundestag on Dec. 5, 2024: “Russia has completely switched to a war economy and provides the army with 1,000 to 1,500 tanks every year. That’s about twice as many as the five largest European countries combined have in stock. For us, one thing is certain: Russia is the greatest threat to our security, and it will remain so for the foreseeable future.”
“The Russian armed forces are planning to grow to 1.5 million soldiers, which is more soldiers than in the entire [European Union],” Carsten Breuer, German chief of defense, warned in an interview with Suedeutsche Zeitung on July 7, 2024. “We should take seriously what Putin has said in speeches and writings. If we take all the information together, an attack on nato territory is possible in the next five to eight years.”
2 Spend
Just three days after Russia’s invasion, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would create a special €100 billion (us$113 billion) fund for the German military. This allowed Germany to top up its military budget without usual budgetary constraints and spend more than 2 percent of its gross domestic product in 2024 on defense for the first time since 1990. In July 2024, Germany reported the second-highest defense expenditure for the year to nato, amounting to nearly $100 billion. Now, as the special fund runs out, additional funds are being debated.
“Germany is making national and collective defense its priority, which is a first since the Second World War,” Pistorius said on May 9, 2024. He also noted that military spending would continue to rise: “Two percent is our floor, not our ceiling. We have understood: The times of the peace dividend are over.” He backed that up with specifics on the armaments Germany is putting its money toward, both in domestic production and in defense contracts with other nations. He also spoke about increasing the Bundeswehr’s military preparedness, including bringing back some kind of military conscription. “We need to ensure our military staying power in a state of national or collective defense,” he said.
We are seeing the same trend in nations across Europe. As Mr. Flurry wrote in our September 2023 issue, “In 2022, Poland increased military spending by 11 percent, Sweden by 12 percent, Lithuania by 27 percent and Finland by a stunning 36 percent. These are immense increases that policymakers would have called outrageous before Russia sent all those tanks and troops across Ukraine’s border. Now many think that even these greatly expanded budgets are still not enough.”
3 Go Nuclear
Russia’s aggression has also triggered Germany to prepare for nuclear warfare.
In his March 15, 2022, article, “America Trusts Germany With Stealth Nuclear Fighters,” Mr. Flurry highlighted Germany’s purchase of U.S.-manufactured F-35 warplanes to carry U.S. nuclear weapons stationed in Europe. The U.S. “originally deployed these bombs and more to nato nations in Europe during the Cold War,” he wrote. “Are these bombs still necessary? Is it still worth the risk to leave nuclear weapons in nations that were America’s enemies as recently as World War ii? These questions apparently don’t concern American leaders, who are now giving Germany the ability to put these bombs on a stealth jet.”
Germany is also considering developing its own bombs. Though the country renounced nuclear weapons back in 1990, the Ukraine conflict has sparked debate over whether it should reverse that policy and build its own arsenal.
Germany almost developed its own atomic weapons in World War ii under the Nazi regime. Today it has one of the most advanced economies and engineering sectors in the world. It possesses some of the world’s most advanced uranium enrichment facilities. It produces the Panavia Tornado fighter jet, Dolphin-class submarine and other military platforms capable of delivering nuclear weapons. It also closely cooperates militarily and industrially with nuclear-armed France, and the two nations have discussed sharing its nuclear weapons.
4 Focus on Arms Industry
Just days after Russia invaded Ukraine, German arms manufacturers met with the government. “Companies now want to ramp up production quickly,” Handelsblatt noted. “Airbus, for example, could supply military helicopters, Hensoldt radar systems, and Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems (tkms) could upgrade the fleet.”
Immediately after the invasion, Rheinmetall shares rose by 5.4 percent to €101.20. They have since exceeded €600. The German arms manufacturer also used lessons from the Ukraine war to improve its supertank Panther KF51. Together with Italy’s Leonardo, Rheinmetall will develop a new version of the tank for the Italian Army. Rheinmetall is also opening new factories in Ukraine, Lithuania and Germany to drastically boost production of artillery shells and other munitions. Before the Ukraine war, Rheinmetall sold about 70,000 shells each year; in 2026, it wants to sell 1.5 million shells.
In the meantime, Rheinmetall’s German competitor, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, is working with France and Spain on a new Main Ground Combat System, which will feature a new main battle tank to replace the Leclerc and Leopard 2.
Germany, France and Spain also signed a framework agreement on June 17, 2024, for a Future Air Combat System, which will feature a new European fighter jet.
To speed things up, the German government adopted a new National Security and Defense Industry Strategy on Dec. 4, 2024. A Defense Ministry spokesman emphasized that current “capability gaps” must be closed in joint cooperation “with partners in Europe and beyond.” He noted that systems need to be developed that do not yet exist, “not even within nato”—and must be produced in sufficient quantities.
Handelsblatt called on Germany to invest more in cybersecurity and other security- and defense-related technologies. It classifies information technology, communication technology, artificial intelligence, ammunition, naval shipbuilding, tanks and air systems as key sectors. “In view of the current threat situation,” the paper states, “Germany needs to become defense capable as quickly as possible.”
This is an extraordinary development considering how determined the Allies were to prevent German rearmament after World War ii. In a February 1945 policy document, the Allies specifically warned against Germany rebuilding industry “that could be used for military production.” Germany has come full circle. It is increasingly turning its industry into a weapons manufacturing powerhouse—but the world is unconcerned.
5 Reorganize
The Financial Times noted on April 4, 2024, that the German military is one of nato’s largest, with 182,000 personnel—yet “its sprawling structure left it ill-positioned for the strategic challenges faced by Berlin and its nato allies.”
This “sprawling structure” was no accident. When the Allies confirmed their postwar aims at Yalta in 1945, they specifically laid out their plan to “break up for all time the German General Staff that has repeatedly contrived the resurgence of German militarism.” The Allies were so wary that when Germany was allowed a military again in 1955, it lacked the type of general staff most other militaries used.
But in April 2024, Germany announced the creation of a new central command that oversees all branches of its military, including a newly created fourth branch that specializes in cyberwarfare. The new central command combines two previously separate structures for domestic and foreign deployments. The unified command will enable Germany to act faster and help its government develop closer links with the military command. It also heightens the risk of Germany abusing its army at home as it did in World War ii.
Germany’s analysis of the war in Ukraine is a major reason for the new emphasis on cyberwarfare. In a visit to the Bundeswehr’s Cyber Innovation Hub on Oct. 28, 2024, Pistorius said, “The battlefield has changed. Drones and artificial intelligence play a central role.”
Germany is positioning itself to be nato’s leading power in cyberwarfare, including artificial intelligence.
Nearly two decades ago, Mr. Flurry wrote in “America’s Achilles’ Heel—and Germany”: “I believe one key end-time Bible prophecy could well be fulfilled through the kind of cyberterrorism … described: ‘They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof’ (Ezekiel 7:14). The trumpet of war is to be blown in Israel—mainly America and Britain. … It seems everybody is expecting our people to go into battle, but the greatest tragedy imaginable occurs! Nobody goes to battle—even though the trumpet is blown! Will it be because of computer terrorism?” (May 2005, theTrumpet.com/1394).
The world is dependent on electronic systems, and no military relies more on advanced technologies than that of the United States. It’s no coincidence that China is the only other major power to have a similar branch of its armed forces. China clearly sees the U.S. as its main enemy. Now Germany is pushing into the same battle space.
6 Unite Europe’s Militaries
In response to Russia’s war, several European nations have willingly submitted their combat capabilities to German leadership. The following are three concrete examples of military integration of land, air and sea forces that occurred in direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Swallowing the Dutch Army: On March 30, 2023, the last Dutch combat brigade joined a division of the German Army. This cooperation has been decades in the making. It was made possible by German language-training in Dutch schools, joint exercises and the 24 Bundeswehr training facilities open to soldiers from other EU nations.
Leading the largest air exercise: In June 2023, “Air Defender 23” became the largest air force exercise in nato history. It was led by Germany. U.S. Gen. Michael Loh told Deutsche Welle, “I’m not sure why it’s German-led, to tell you the truth. I know that Germany wanted to lead an exercise to test both its ability to host forces and also its ability to do full nato interoperability.” Few know what Germany’s actual goals are.
Swiftly integrating Finland: Finland joined the nato alliance on April 4, 2024. Within 10 days, it was included in a joint military exercise. Finnish, Portuguese and German forces in Standing nato Maritime Group 1 were commanded by German Rear Adm. Thorsten Marx.
Our article “A European Army Already Exists” lists many more concrete examples of military integration.
In the March 1950 Plain Truth, Mr. Armstrong stated that “the nations of Europe, directly in the very shadow of the great Russian bear, are becoming disturbed, distrustful of America, and thinking more and more about uniting themselves into a united states of Europe.” We see this increasing unification in Europe’s militaries.
7 Move East
In April 2024, Germany began establishing a permanent military base in Lithuania. “This is the first time that we have permanently stationed such a unit outside of Germany,” Pistorius explained. “We will create such a defense and deterrence architecture that no adversary from the east will even think about testing nato’s Article 5.” Article 5 of the nato treaty states that an armed attack against one of its members will be considered an attack against all of them.
Germany plans to man the base with 4,800 troops and 200 civilians by 2027 and form a new brigade that will coordinate with nato.
Immediately after World War ii, Germany was forbidden from having a military. In 1955, Western powers allowed it an army, but one designed only to defend itself against the Soviets—not one capable of deploying abroad. In 1995, German troops were stationed in Croatia in their first international deployment since World War ii. Another taboo was broken, yet Germany was allowed to deploy only as part of coalitions, not by itself.
German military missions have increased since then, with Germany taking on more and more significant roles.
Now Germany is going it alone—and doing permanently. It will need to set up the logistics and supply chains necessary to sustain such a deployment. It will have to improve at supplying its troops abroad, making the military much more agile.
In 2023, when the agreement was first signed, geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan warned: “This reminds me of the last seven major wars that the Germans were in. There was a period of disarmament if they lost, and then it ended and the Germans started using military tactics again, and stuff got real really, really fast. So are the Germans our enemies? No, not today. Will the Germans start to see the world a little bit differently? Oh, yeah. And has that ever ended well? Oh, no.”
8 Test Weapons in Ukraine
In February 2024, Time characterized the struggle in Ukraine as an “AI war lab.” Germany has sent various weapon systems to Ukraine, often months after Ukraine requested them. These deliveries didn’t fundamentally change the war—by design—but the more technical ones have provided Germany with valuable insights, specifically in the field of artificial intelligence.
One German company that got involved in the war early was Helsing. It has helped Ukraine develop and test AI drones. Its drone software has proved largely immune to Russian jamming. At the end of 2024, the company was commissioned to produce 4,000 strike drones for Ukraine, according to Bild.
An armaments insider told Bild, “The drone looks at the area itself, so to speak, recognizes where it is based on many thousands of markers, and thus helps the operator to stay on course even in adverse weather conditions or in bombed-out areas. Once the target has been found and the operator has instructed it, the drone flies itself to the target.”
These drones, Bild says, have up to four times the range of conventional Ukrainian kamikaze drones, are cheaper than their American and Russian counterparts, and contain enough explosives to destroy Russian tanks.
“We are in close dialogue with our Ukrainian partners and will be able to draw conclusions for the Bundeswehr on how this type of drone can be used effectively,” Pistorius noted. “This will also help us to develop our own drone capabilities.”
This is what supplying drone weapons to Ukraine is really about: Germany wants to develop its “own drone capabilities.”
In his article “AI and the End of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction,’” Mr. Flurry explained that “ultimately, this is not about Ukraine winning against Russia. Ukraine has become a ‘lab’ to prepare for much larger wars!”
Revelation 9 describes fearsome weapons to be used in a coming global war. Drone swarms may be part of them.
9 Prepare the People
“Germany and the Bundeswehr must be prepared to respond to current threats and territorial defense in peace, crisis and war,” a Bundeswehr paper published September 2024 reads. “With this goal in mind, experts from all areas of the Bundeswehr are developing the military component of a national defense plan, the ‘Operations Plan Germany’ (oplan deu), in a joint planning group comprising the federal government, the federal states and local authorities, the so-called blue-light organizations and industry. oplan deu is a secret document that is continuously being worked on and updated under the responsibility of the Territorial Command of the Bundeswehr.”
In an astonishing way, Germany’s military command that orchestrated two world wars is now preparing Germany for a third world war.
War preparations with civilian companies have already begun, a Nov. 18, 2024, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung report reveals.
“We need to raise awareness of how important a well-prepared and resilient economy is for Germany’s civilian and military defense,” said Malte Heyne, managing director of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.
“If it were essential to avert serious dangers, the regulations would even allow the entire economy to be converted to a planned economy by the state,” said Bertram Brossardt, managing director of the Bavarian Business Association.
Germany is also considering a massive expansion of its bomb shelter network. Plans include converting various public and private facilities such as metro stations, car parks and basements.
The mindset of the younger generation is being shaped to expect warfare. The government approved a draft law in November that will compel young men to answer a survey about their willingness to serve in the German military.
“In view of the military threat posed by Russia, a clear majority of citizens are behind the turnaround in defense policy and are specifically calling for a Bundeswehr that is fit for war,” notes military sociologist Timo Graf of the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the German Armed Forces. He notes in a report that the belief that Russia’s foreign and security policy is a threat to Germany’s security has increased from 28 percent in 2018 to 66 percent in 2024.
10 Get a Strongman
A change in conditions requires a change in leadership. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht faced that reality when she resigned on Jan. 16, 2023, less than a year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Her replacement, Pistorius, swept in with an active, bold approach and has been Germany’s most popular politician ever since.
But the war has also destabilized Germany’s governing coalition. It collapsed on Nov. 6, 2024. The Social Democrats and Greens wanted to declare a financial emergency that allowed them to get around the German constitution’s strict limits on debt, something the Free Democrats opposed. Scholz consequently kicked the Free Democrats out of his government, continued ruling with a minority in parliament, and was forced to open a path to new elections.
But long before that, it was already clear that Scholz wasn’t the right leader for the job.
When asked about Vladimir Putin in 2022, he said on a talk show, “What really scared me is this incredible emphasis on geopolitics in the thinking of the Russian president.” Even Neville Chamberlain never said he was scared of Adolf Hitler.
Greens politician Marina Weisband posted on X that Scholz’s interview “was like a punch in the stomach.” “[W]herever the world looks at him, you can see that he is so scared and overwhelmed,” she wrote.
With Putin’s continued dominance, and now Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the rekindling of major conflicts in the Middle East, it is clearer than ever that Germany lacks a strong leader.
Mr. Flurry has consistently warned that Russia’s rise would help usher in this new strongman. After Putin invaded Crimea in 2014, Mr. Flurry wrote that the Bible contains a “major prophecy that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will bring about … the arrival of a strongman in Europe. A new leader is coming—a kind of Vladimir Putin. This is what Europe needs in order to bind together, to have the strength and unity of purpose needed to confront Russia” (May-June 2014).
“Europe’s new fear of Russia is going to play a major role in hastening the fulfillment of that prophecy!” he wrote.
The Trumpet believes this prophesied leader could be Germany’s former defense minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. He is one of a few leading men who have called for a joint European military force for years. But this idea did not gain acceptance until the recent wars.
A Modern Holy Roman Empire
Bible prophecy warns of the most shocking development in world affairs in the days ahead: the sudden rise of a European empire cast in the mold of the medieval Holy Roman Empire. This church-state combine, spearheaded by Germany, will possess unmatched military power and will use it to usher in an age of brutality unmatched in history. You can read a vivid, horrific description of this power in Revelation 17 and 18. (Also request a free copy of our book The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy.)
Few people looking at Europe today would consider this scenario even a remote possibility. But when viewing events on the Continent in light of this prophecy, you can recognize the groundwork being laid, step by maleficent step.
The role that Russia’s aggression has played in hastening this process is unmistakable. Based on these prophecies, Gerald Flurry has been warning for more than 20 years that this would happen. Recent events underscore the accuracy of that forecast and prove the veracity and reliability of the biblical prophecies that informed it.
Watch Europe! Watch Germany! The most dramatic of these prophecies are yet to be fulfilled—but they will be soon!
