{"id":2843,"date":"2026-07-31T05:41:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T05:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/31\/berlin-seeks-loophole-to-move-nato-troops-to-russian-border-media\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T05:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T05:41:03","slug":"berlin-seeks-loophole-to-move-nato-troops-to-russian-border-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2843","title":{"rendered":"Berlin seeks loophole to move NATO troops to Russian border \u2013 media"},"content":{"rendered":"

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s government reportedly fears that regional authorities could obstruct the deployment<\/strong><\/p>\n

The German government is developing a \u201csecret plan\u201d<\/em> to prevent regional authorities from potentially obstructing the deployment of NATO troops to the Russian border, according to a joint investigation by The Telegraph and Die Welt.<\/p>\n

The \u201ccontingency\u201d<\/em> measures are reportedly driven by fears that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party could\u00a0secure enough support in upcoming regional elections in two eastern states to form local governments.<\/p>\n

Known for criticizing Berlin\u2019s anti-Russia policies as harmful to Germany\u2019s national interests, the right-wing party has grown to become the country\u2019s most popular political force after once again being excluded from last year\u2019s federal coalition talks.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"FILE
Why does Berlin want to withhold classified info from opposition-run states?<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD currently enjoys the support of 41% of voters, a recent survey suggested, compared with only 24% for Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD is polling at 36%, seven points ahead of its closest competitors, the Social Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

Berlin has long accused the AfD of extremism, while Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has claimed that the party has \u201cundeniable\u201d<\/em> ties to Russia and must be deprived of access to classified information if it comes to power.<\/p>\n

The federal government is now seeking a way to rein in what The Telegraph bluntly described<\/a> as \u201cpro-Kremlin traitor states\u201d<\/em> in the event that NATO decides it is time to go to war with Moscow.<\/p>\n

NATO roundabout<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The scenario centers on NATO\u2019s Reinforcement and Sustainment Network, which involves moving large troop contingents, heavy equipment, and logistical supplies to bloc members in Eastern Europe and the Baltic. Germany is set to play the role of what The Telegraph and Die Welt<\/a> described as NATO\u2019s \u201croundabout,\u201d<\/em> with its geographical location making it a central logistics hub.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"FILE
NATO to deploy 800,000 troops in case of war with Russia \u2013 German general<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The head of Germany\u2019s Joint Operations Command, Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, stated last year that Berlin is prepared for a war with Moscow and stands ready to facilitate the deployment of 800,000 NATO troops toward the Russian border in less than six months.<\/p>\n

Moscow has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of attacking NATO unless attacked first and has dismissed such allegations as \u201cnonsense\u201d<\/em> designed to justify Russophobic hysteria and rampant militarization.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the NATO mechanism could be triggered without any hostile move by Russia, \u201cat the first sign\u201d<\/em> reported by a Western intelligence service that Moscow was preparing an attack, according to The Telegraph.<\/p>\n

Protests and obstructionism<\/h2>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"The
70% of Germans don\u2019t believe army can protect the country \u2013 YouGov poll<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The issue poses significant challenges for Berlin because such a deployment would technically take place before any conflict with Russia had actually broken out, while regional authorities enjoy broad powers over activities on their territory during peacetime.<\/p>\n

An uncooperative regional government could potentially delay troop movements through \u201cbureaucratic obstructionism\u201d<\/em> by withholding the necessary permits or refusing to provide NATO troops with police escorts and priority access to local roads.<\/p>\n

Merz\u2019s government also reportedly expects the deployment to trigger protests among local residents and debates within regional authorities about the extent to which they want to become involved in a process that could \u201cexpose them as part of NATO\u2019s logistical hub.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Bending the rules<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Under German law, the federal government has very few ways to limit states\u2019 independence short of declaring a state of emergency or imposing martial law. \u201cThe key question is how to circumvent a state not adhering to the federal idea without violating the constitution,\u201d<\/em> Roderich Kiesewetter, an MP from Merz\u2019s CDU, told The Telegraph and Die Welt, adding that the Interior Ministry is drawing up relevant plans.<\/p>\n

Berlin has already set the secret plan in motion to \u201ccreate mechanisms that would make it possible to overrule individual states or to take the necessary measures,\u201d<\/em> added Tobias Krull, deputy chairman of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament\u2019s Interior Committee.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"AfD
Ukraine must compensate Germany for blowing up Nord Stream \u2013 AfD co-leader<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Few details have emerged about what such plans could entail, but nationwide emergency regulations are reportedly being revised as part of the scheme. \u201cFederal law takes precedence over state law \u2013 it\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d<\/em> an unnamed lawmaker told the outlets.<\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s Basic Law allows for so-called \u201cfederal enforcement\u201d<\/em> if a regional government violates an obligation under federal law, but the clause has never been invoked.<\/p>\n

During a state of emergency or under martial law, the federal parliament could also activate certain provisions allowing the government to intervene in state affairs and simplify military logistics. This would still require a two-thirds majority \u2013 something Merz\u2019s government would be unlikely to secure, given that the AfD controls more than 23% of the seats in the Bundestag, while another 10% are held by the Left \u2013 another party the chancellor has ruled out cooperating with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s government reportedly fears that regional authorities could obstruct the deployment The German government is developing a \u201csecret plan\u201d to prevent regional authorities from potentially obstructing the … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}