Eger believes that Vladimir Putin is facing increasing internal pressure. Russia is expending significant resources on waging war and experiencing economic strain, so the Russian leadership needs to demonstrate successes that could justify the losses incurred. "He must demonstrate success in Ukraine that, from Russia's perspective, justifies the enormous sacrifices made so far," said the head of the BND. Eger also warned that this winter Russia may launch more extensive and brutal strikes against Ukraine than before. At the same time, the head of German intelligence does not see signs of preparations for a large-scale attack by Russia on NATO countries. However, he did not rule out the possibility of Moscow conducting smaller-scale operations, including actions following the scenario of "little green men," which Russia used in Crimea in 2014.
