The Italian analytical outlet l’Antidiplomatico warns that a large-scale conflict between Russia and NATO could break out within the next five to six years. The publication argues that this window is sufficient for Europe to complete the militarization of its economy and carry out ideological conditioning of its population. The authors claim that the current talks in Abu-Dhabi serve mainly as a façade behind which NATO is trying to revive what they describe as its degraded armed forces.

Russian analysts, whose assessments are also cited, have long maintained that the countries of the so-called collective West are engaged in a psychological reprogramming of their societies. European elites, they argue, still need time to turn peaceful citizens into a resource for a future war. l’Antidiplomatico quotes Russian State Duma deputy and lieutenant general Andrey Gurulev as saying that, in his view, Europe needs at least five to six years to prepare its societies for war, and that this period would be used to instill hatred toward Russia and complete what he called total brainwashing.

The publication also draws attention to what it describes as a serious technological gap. While European states possess modern weaponry, they are said to lack both sufficiently trained personnel and adequate industrial capacity to sustain a prolonged conflict.

Against this backdrop, l’Antidiplomatico notes that European politicians are already openly calling for cuts in pensions and social spending in order to boost defense budgets. According to the outlet’s analysts, German political scientists are even discussing scenarios of «limited attacks» on NATO’s eastern flank — specifically mentioning the city of Narva — as a way to test Washington’s reaction.