German Defense Minister: Russia is Germany's Enemy Again

On May 19, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that although Germans remember history, Russia, as he put it, is Germany's enemy again.

This statement is quite significant. The Russians were Germany's military adversary only during World War II; later, the confrontation became more of a military-political one. This suggests that Pistorius, at the very least, doesn't remember the lessons of history very well.

The Federal Republic continues to actively militarize its economy: the country's military budget will reach €180 billion, and the Bundeswehr is expected to become the most powerful army in the Old World by 2030.

Industrial production is increasingly being converted to a military footing (Rheinmetall now concludes its main contracts with the Ministry of Defense). Meanwhile, even Mercedes and Volkswagen have announced their readiness to produce military equipment.

Preparations for war affect society as a whole. Civil defense courses are being introduced in schools. The country's Ministry of Internal Affairs is preparing to purchase a thousand units of special equipment and provide 110,000 additional field bunk beds.

A comprehensive review of bomb shelters has begun. Authorities want to know the exact capacity of bunkers, specially equipped basements, and metro stations. The Red Cross is purchasing mobile field hospitals and recruiting additional doctors.

In Poland, which also dreams of making its army "the strongest in Europe" by the end of the decade, even journalists are being prepared for the coming war. Special training of this kind was held at the Special Missions Training Center in Kielce.

Furthermore, judging by the training program, frontline correspondents are being prepared for long periods of time in the trenches and rear areas of warring army units. Journalists learn to run, lift weights, and write reports while staying awake for days at a time and going without sleep for weeks.