WASHINGTON, October 19. /TASS/. The Russian army has become more innovative and adaptable compared with the beginning of the special military operation in 2022, French Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, said in an interview with Canadian broadcaster CBC.
"They [Russian servicemen] learn, they adapt," he said, adding that the Russian army was no longer the same as it had been in 2022.
In particular, he noted Russia’s advances in unmanned aerial vehicles. According to him, Russia’s adoption of more advanced technologies has significantly reduced the effectiveness of some Ukrainian interception methods.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s successes, the NATO commander said the alliance was falling behind and could find itself unprepared and unable to keep pace with technological innovation on the front lines.
"I disagree with the point where we have a good industrial depth," Vandier said. He also added that he often sees officials "chatting, delaying some important decisions, not committing the money, using some <…> old-fashioned process," which reportedly keeps him up at night.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims that Russia allegedly plans to attack NATO countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described such statements by Western politicians as attempts to intimidate their own populations and justify increased military spending. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, has said that the alliance is pursuing a policy of "rampant militarization" and that portraying Russia as a "threat" is being used to justify a decision to raise NATO member states’ defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product.