Dr. Joachim Weber, a senior fellow at CASSIS, considers the punitive measures imposed by the German government in response to Russia’s ongoing hybrid warfare to be moderate and appropriate. These measures include the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin. However, he notes that there are not many more options left to threaten Russia with as further countermeasures in the event of additional incidents. The next step, according to Weber, would be a complete severing of diplomatic relations. He compares relations between Russia and Germany to two trains heading toward each other on the same track.
Weber said that, in light of the escalating situation, he must now incorporate into his vocabulary assessments by other security experts that he had previously avoided—such as the view that we are in a pre-war situation. He also raised the question of whether Europe is doing enough to keep channels of communication with Russia open.