No Russian Military Reshuffle, German Chief Of Defense: There Are Still Navy And Air Force

General Eberhard Zorn. (Twitter/@BandeswehrGI)

JAKARTA - Germany's defense chief warned the West not to underestimate Russia's military power, saying Moscow could open up a second front if it chose to.

"Most Russian ground forces may be 'binding' in Ukraine at this time, but even so, we must not underestimate the potential of Russian ground forces to open a second war theater," Bundeswehr Inspector General Eberhard Zorn told Reuters in an interview. August 31.

Beyond the army, Russia also has naval and air force, he added.

"Most of the Russian Navy has not been deployed in war in Ukraine, and the Russian air force also still has significant potential, which is also a threat to NATO," Zorn said.

Bundeswehr regularly supports NATO air missions in Baltic countries with fighter jets, having one of the strongest fleets in the region.

One of the potential hot spots there is Kaliningrad, a Russian excavator that is pinned between members of NATO Poland and Lithuania. It accommodates the Russian Baltic Navy fleet, as well as the location of Russia's nuclear-capable missile deployment, Iskander.

Russia has threatened to place nuclear and hypersonic weapons in Kaliningrad, if Finland and Sweden join NATO, whose membership processes are ongoing.

General Zorn, speaking before the start of Ukraine's southern attack, stressed that Russia continues to have large reserves.

"Regarding the military, Russia is very capable of expanding the conflict regionally. That this would be a very unreasonable thing for Russia to do, a different story," he said.

Referring to the military situation in Ukraine, Zorn said Moscow's attack dynamics had slowed, but Russia was still moving forward.

"Supported by massive artillery fire, they are pushing for progress, regardless of Ukrainian civilian casualties," he said.

He also considered that Russia would not run out of ammunition anytime soon.

"Russia has large amounts of ammunition they have. These ammunition are partially old and very inaccurate, but this is precisely what caused great destruction to civilian infrastructure. They fired about 40,000 to 60,000 artillery rounds per day," he explained.

However, Zorn said he did not think of further attacks on Ukrainian territory at this time. Says Russian troops are currently focused on conquering Donbas, an industrial area in eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed separatists have taken control of most areas. However, no military resolution has yet been seen, he said.