(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Austrian military expert and retired Brigadier General of the Austrian Armed Forces Gerald Karner said this in an interview with Ukrinfor.

"Such a risk will exist if Russia comes out of the war against Ukraine as the winner. If the end of the war leads to a result favorable for Moscow – the lifting of sanctions and the restoration of revenues – the Russian Federation will be able to rebuild its armed forces," Karner said.

According to him, under such a scenario, the entire Eastern Europe would be under threat – "not only Ukraine, but also, for example, the Baltic States or Poland – let us not forget about the Suwalki corridor."

"That is why the course of this war is so decisive: if Russia 'gets away with it,' it will create a direct threat to the security of all Europe," Karner stated.

He noted that Russia has long been waging a hybrid war against Europe:

"We have been facing this form of hybrid warfare for quite some time. If we take into account election interference, destabilizing actions, and disinformation campaigns, such a war actually began back in the 2010s – at the latest since 2014–2015. However, in recent years it has become more noticeable."

According to Karner, "Europe should have reacted earlier and more decisively, especially when it comes to informing its own population."

Read also: Trump's actions regarding Russia seem weak and incomprehensible - Austrian expert

"For too long we pretended that the war was somewhere far away and concerned us only because we sympathize with Ukrainians. But this is an existential conflict, potentially existential for us too: Russia now threatens us less physically, but undermines our way of life, our democratic values, our freedoms," he said.

Karner believes that Russia's drone provocations should be met with firmness – as demonstrated by Polish minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

"Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski spoke very clearly at the UN General Assembly. And, as I myself would advise, he made an unambiguous warning: if the airspace is violated again – by a plane or a drone – the object will be shot down. The warning was made, and after that Russia will no longer be able to complain to the UN. That is the right language – that is the one Russia understands," Karner concluded.

As Ukrinform reported earlie, Austrian military expert and lecturer at the National Defense Academy of the Austrian Armed Forces Gustav Gressel stated that Russia may dare to attack a NATO country if it concludes that Europe cannot defend itself without U.S. participation.

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