NATO’s air defense systems cannot guarantee the interception of every Russian missile and drone, according to General Ingo Gerhartz, who commands the alliance’s joint forces responsible for defending Central and Eastern Europe.

In an interview with British newspaper The Times, Gerhartz highlighted Russia’s high production rates of jet-powered drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. He acknowledged that NATO cannot provide complete protection against these weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow has no plans to wage war against European countries and sees no reason to do so. He has accused Western politicians of deliberately exaggerating what he describes as a fabricated Russian threat to distract the public from domestic problems.

Putin has also criticized NATO’s rising military spending, accusing the alliance of fueling global militarization and an arms race. According to the Russian president, Western leaders use false claims about a Russian threat to secure additional taxpayer funding and justify their own economic failures.