Gheorghiță Vlad issued a stark warning about the state of the nation’s army, calling for immediate action.

Romania isn’t prepared for a potential war with Russia and it needs to brace, the country’s defense chief said.

Gheorghiță Vlad, chief of defense of Romania, said, “Yes, the population of Romania, like the entire population of the European Union, of Europe, must be concerned,” in an interview with Europa Liberă România published Thursday.

“If he wins in Ukraine, the main target will be the Republic of Moldova. We will witness tensions in the Western Balkans,” the Romanian general added. “I am more than convinced that President Putin’s policy will escalate in the near future.”

  • febra@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I’ve seen a ton of NATO generals say this lately. What signs do we have that this is actually happening? I thought we had nuclear deterrence. Somehow everyone is talking now about a direct confrontation with Russia in Europe. Something makes me feel that this is just fear mongering. I think our leaders are doing a very poor job at showing us proof of such a conflict actually happening in the future.

    • taanegl@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      It might just be various militaries signaling what may come to pass, in the hopes that preparing yourself for war keeps the peace - at least where peace currently lives.

      I’m a bit worried about what Putin might do if Kosovo and Serbia start flaring up again. It’s like dancing around landmines. One false step and the whole of Europe might be mobilised. That will suck, big time.

    • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      If the orange guy wins, he will likely pull troops from Eastern Europe. At that point we (Europeans) can no longer count on NATO support. The nuclear arsenal of France/UK is not sufficiently large, and most European countries spend too little on conventional weaponry. This is potentially happening in 11 months.

      There is no exaggeration in stating that Ukraine is fighting for our freedom.

      • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        Trump is not going to win. His name drives turnout, but most of it is against him.

        But Europe should be able to defend itself. I read an article about the drone attack on the US base in Jordan recently. It said that when they found out that a few Americans had died, the Iranian militias in the area ran away from their bases.

        That’s how afraid they are of a potential American response. Yesterday the Air Force sent two planes from the US to destroy several groups command centers and drone storage areas on the other side of the globe. And they sanctioned some Revolutionary Guard commanders and cyber attacked at the same time.

        Imagine an enemy that is so powerful it lets you attack it, like you’re a child, because it would be unfair if it used all its power. That’s what fighting the US is like. Europe has the potential to be like that if it gets organized.

        • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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          9 months ago

          Trump is not going to win. His name drives turnout, but most of it is against him.

          I hope you are right, but I don’t trust the American electorate to vote in their own (or the reat of the world’s) best interests.

        • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Fully agree that Europe should be able to defend itself. Fact is we’re not, and politicians are unwilling to invest in it (or directly corrupted by Putin), so here we are, defenceless except for the US and (bizarrely) Ukraine. I am very happy that generals are speaking out on this issue.

    • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      I thought we had nuclear deterrence

      No sane person wants to pull that trigger.

    • NewNewAccount@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Yeah someone needs to forge some documents about Russian attempting to buy yellowcake! Add some illegitimate legitimacy to this warmongering!

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Romania isn’t prepared for a potential war with Russia and it needs to brace, the country’s defense chief said.

    The general noted the end of compulsory military service in Romania as a reason for a shortfall in the army’s readiness.

    Debris from one of the Kremlin’s drones fell in Romania last September and the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) could not be shot down because Romanian law does not allow this, the general said.

    His broad call to action echoed similar recent warnings from other Western military and defense leaders, including the U.K.’s army chief General Patrick Sanders.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier this week called statements that Russia won’t stop in Ukraine “absurd.”

    “NATO is an instrument of confrontation,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov echoing long-term Russian rhetoric, adding that Moscow considers the alliance’s military exercises as a threat.


    The original article contains 372 words, the summary contains 139 words. Saved 63%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • Rand0mA@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    They are failing hard in Ukraine. At this point i recon theyd fail against a bunch of friday night drinkers coming out of a wetherspoons

    • OwlPaste@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      If they were failing so badly, Ukraine would have regained its territory including Crimea by now. While we all want Ukraine to succeed and win, you have to be realistic, how ever badly the orcs are doing, they are still in Ukraine and are very slowly pushing westwards on some fronts.

      Lets be realistic and keep giving Ukraine the ammunition, arms and tools they need to push the orcs out instead of just calling them stupid and incompetent. That doesn’t help Ukraine to win.

      • Rand0mA@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        I mean… I dont really know how much ammo i can contribute…

        But yeah, they’ve been there a while now. I dont watch tv or follow news so I dont know about any territory taken. Your point about supporting Ukraine is well taken.