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Top NATO generals have warned that the Russian president could strike targets across Europe in an all-out war against the West.
Leaders said the bloc could have as little as three years to prepare for a possible Russian offensive on European soil, which could see attacks on civilian and military infrastructure deep behind the front lines.
They said Germany was likely to be singled out as a central "stronghold" for NATO's continental supply lines and that targets could range from munitions factories and command centres, to power stations, railways and bridges.
Russia has already used similar tactics during its invasion of Ukraine, launching missiles into Ukrainian territory, while Ukraine itself has retaliated by targeting ammunition depots, fuel and command centers, the Daily Mail reports.
" If we compare the war and operations ten years ago or five years ago, then we understand that we have to accept that even the rear areas will be hit hard.
We must assume that an aggressor will use the entire spectrum of kinetic and non-kinetic force to destroy lines of communication, even inland.
This ranges from acts of sabotage through electronic and cyber warfare to kinetic capabilities through missiles, drones and so on ," said General Alexander Sollfrank, commander of NATO's military logistics center in southwest Germany.
The NATO general called on world leaders to cut the "red tape" that hampers countries' ability to use weapons and technology from another nation.
Sollfrank said that the rules on the use of various weapons and equipment massively slowed down response times, and this was seen in the Ukrainian offensive against the power of the Kremlin.
According to him, reducing bureaucracy for multinational organizations would be key to ensuring that NATO is agile to fight Russia.
Meanwhile, General Jan-Willem Maas, the head of the Dutch armed forces' Defense Support Command, agreed that preparations for a bloc-wide conflict must advance.
" We are not where we should be, and that is very clear. But the question arises, what are we going to do about it?
If you look at what Putin has done so far, I think we have a better starting position for future operations. If you look at how Europe came together after Putin invaded Ukraine, I'm not so pessimistic.
But at the same time, if you look at military deterrence, we have to do our best to make the offensive work ," he said.
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