72% of Germans Don’t Believe Their Army Could Defend the Country From Russia, Poll Finds

Nearly three-quarters of Germans do not believe the Bundeswehr would be able to defend the country in the event of a Russian military attack, according to a new INSA poll commissioned by Bild am Sonntag and published on May 23.

The survey found that only 17% of respondents believe Germany’s armed forces could properly defend the country if such an attack took place.

By contrast, 72% said they do not think the Bundeswehr would be able to withstand aggression from Moscow.

“If an attack were to happen, only 17% believe the Bundeswehr would be able to properly defend our country. Instead, almost three-quarters, 72%, are convinced that our soldiers would have nothing to counter an aggressor from the Kremlin,” the report said.

At the same time, fear of a direct Russian attack on Germany has fallen sharply compared with last autumn.

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Currently, 38% of respondents said they are worried about the possibility of a Russian military strike, down 14 percentage points from September 2025. Half of those surveyed said they are “not afraid at all” of such an attack.

The poll suggests that Germans are more concerned about hybrid threats than a conventional invasion. Around 66% of respondents said they fear that cyberattacks, espionage, or sabotage linked to Russia could affect life in Germany in the future. Only 22% said they had no such concerns.

Confidence in US support also appears limited. Just 35% of respondents said they believe Washington would provide military assistance to Germany in the event of an attack, while 43% said they do not expect help from the United States.

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The findings come amid growing debate over Germany’s preparedness for crisis scenarios. Last week, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt presented a new civil protection plan that includes €10 billion in investments for civil defense, the purchase of 110,000 field beds, and the creation of an app to help citizens find the nearest shelters.

Earlier, German authorities dismantled a large sanctions evasion network accused of supplying Russia with Western dual-use technologies linked to its defense industry, nuclear sector, and atomic submarine programs.

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