Departing Swiss Army Chief Bemoans Lack Of Urgency Despite Russian Aggression

2025-12-27 02:08:52

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Despite the Russia's attack on Ukraine almost four years ago, army chief Thomas Süssli rates the Swiss political response as blasé. This content was published on December 27, 2025 - 11:21 4 minutes Keystone-SDA

Deutsch de Süssli sieht keinen Ruck in der Schweiz trotz russischer Aggression Original Read more: Süssli sieht keinen Ruck in der Schweiz trotz russischer Aggre

“I don't have the feeling that a jolt has gone through the country since then,” he says in an interview with the NZZ newspaper on Saturday.

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Süssli accepts that in a democracy, politics determines the means. However, he said it is stressful to know that only a third of all soldiers would be fully equipped in an emergency.

“I still remember February 24, 2022, when Russia attacked Ukraine. It was clear to me that what was needed now was ruthless honesty. The population and politicians must not believe that the army is capable of defence when it is not,” warns the head of the army, who is stepping down at the end of the year.
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