Germany has warned that up to 1,000 of its soldiers could be wounded daily if Vladimir Putin were to launch a war against NATO.
While the Kremlin has denied preparing for conflict with the Western military alliance, recent incursions of Russian fighter jets and drones into Poland, Romania, and Estonia have heightened fears of potential escalation.
Germany’s surgeon general, Ralf Hoffmann, said the number of injured troops in any conflict would depend on the intensity of fighting and the units involved. “Realistically, we are talking about a figure of around 1,000 wounded troops per day,” Hoffmann said.
Citing lessons from the frontline in Ukraine, he explained that Europe is bolstering its military preparedness, including increasing spending, considering reintroducing conscription, and enhancing medical services. Hoffmann noted a shift from gunshot wounds to blast injuries and burns caused by drones and loitering munitions, highlighting how modern warfare has evolved.
Ukrainian forces have described areas around the frontline as a “kill zone,” where unmanned aerial vehicles can rapidly identify and neutralize targets, making evacuation of the wounded challenging. Hoffmann stressed the need for flexible transport options, including hospital trains and buses, and expanded medical evacuation by air. Initial treatment would occur at the frontline before patients are transported back to Germany for care in civilian hospitals, requiring an estimated 15,000 hospital beds out of the country’s total capacity of 440,000.
The warning comes after three Russian MiG-31 jets entered Estonian airspace without permission on Friday, September 19, staying for 12 minutes before being forced to withdraw. NATO has been alerted, and consultations under Article 4 are underway.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed Estonia’s claims, calling them “empty, unfounded” and accusing the Baltic state of escalating tensions unnecessarily.
