NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s latest remarks about Russia’s military capabilities sparked ridicule across Kremlin-linked Russian media, which accused the alliance of “changing tone” to excuse its weak response to repeated Russian airspace violations.
Speaking before NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Rutte said that while Russia remains a threat, “it is not the military power it claims to be.” He warned: “We must not underestimate the Russian threat, but we must not exaggerate it either. Russia is not as strong as it pretends to be—but it remains extremely dangerous.”
Rutte said Russia continues to engage in cyberattacks, sabotage, and espionage within NATO countries, but questioned the competence of its armed forces: “We know that Russian MiG-31 pilots are poorly trained, reflecting the overall decline of their military.” He added: “The NATO economy is roughly 25 times larger than Russia’s, and our air forces are unmatched. The Russians can’t even match the performance of their own planes because their pilots are simply not trained enough.”
Pro-Kremlin media responded with sarcasm. The outlet Voennyy Osvedomitel wrote: “Earlier this year, Rutte warned that Europeans should learn Russian within five years because of the great Russian threat. Now he says Russia is weak.” Another Russian outlet accused Rutte of “tailoring his rhetoric to justify NATO’s inaction” after repeated airspace incursions, while others mocked him for blaming Russia’s weakness to cover “NATO’s failure to respond to drone and migrant pressure.”