War plans outlining how hospitals would deal with thousands of wounded soldiers are among the alarming scenarios being drawn up in European capitals as intelligence chiefs warn of a growing threat
Vladimir Putin’s plans are sparking emergency plans across the continent (file photo)(Image: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool Sputni)
Emergency planning is being stepped up across Europe amid new warnings over a major escalation by Vladimir Putin.
Intelligence chiefs across the continent are now increasingly confident that Russia is planning a huge mobilisation drive in the days that follow this weekend’s parliamentary elections, with as many as 300,000 new recruits expected to join the army by the end of the year. Kremlin officials and employees of Russian conscription offices are reportedly urging their relatives to leave Russia to avoid the draft.
As fears grow of an autumn attack on Eastern Europe or attempts to damage infrastructure in NATO countries, French president Emmanuel Macron hosted a rare emergency meeting with his political rivals on Friday evening, where candidates were briefed on threats from abroad ahead of next year’s election. It came only hours after he warned that the nation “must remain united in the face of crises”.
Russia is preparing to add 300,000 new recruits by the end of the year(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, meanwhile spoke of a “very consistent and unfortunately convincing” consensus among European intelligence agencies that Russia may be preparing to launch strikes on nearby NATO countries in the coming months – and frame the incidents as accidents.
“There is a real risk that drones or other types of missiles could enter the territory of one or several countries on the eastern flank, even cause damage, while the official narrative will be that it was an accident”, he told MPs on Friday.
Leaked plans show hospitals have been ordered to draw up plans for a mass-casualty event in Germany, reported Bloomberg this week, amid warnings that an armed conflict in the Baltics could see up to 1,000 NATO soldiers sent from the frontline every day – rapidly overwhelming the military’s own medical facilities.
It comes on the same week that Number 10 ordered civil servants to update Britain’s ‘war book’, outlining how the country would be run in the event of a major conflict, for the first time since the end of the Cold War. Updated plans are expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The Foreign Office hit back at the Kremlin last night after Vladimir Putin warned British facilities in Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets” if they are used to support long-range strikes against Russia.
A spokesperson said Russia was trying to “deflect attention” from its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and said it would not be dissuaded from arming Kyiv.
The Russian foreign ministry had summoned the UK’s deputy head of mission in Moscow Danae Dholakia to complain about British support for Ukraine in the war triggered by Mr Putin’s invasion four years ago. The senior diplomat was warned that Russia could take “retaliatory measures” in response.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “This is yet another attempt to deflect attention from Russia’s barbaric full scale invasion of Ukraine and discredit the UK on the world stage.
“We are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself and will not let up on our support to secure a just and lasting peace.”