Germany 'ready to fight Russia tonight' as air force chief claims Luftwaffe can 'defend every inch' of Nato

The head of Germany's air force has said the country is "ready to fight Russia tonight", and will "protect every inch of Nato" if Moscow were to launch an attack on allied territory.

Lt Gen Holger Neumann, the Luftwaffe's commanding officer, delivered among the most blunt statements from a senior German military figure in years during his first interview with a British newspaper.

He said devastating air strikes would be unleashed on Russia should it move against any Nato member, and that defensive action would be "32 against X", referencing the power of combined air forces.

"Fight tonight means if someone calls me now and says we have the following situation here, we have to be ready now and we are ready," the 57-year-old general told The Telegraph from his headquarters near Berlin.

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The Luftwaffe chief highlighted several strategic Russian locations to keep a watchful eye on, including the Kola Peninsula in the northwest, where Moscow is building nuclear weapons, St Petersburg with its key naval assets, and the Black Sea region housing Russia's prized fleet.

"It must be clear, there are no zones of different security, that Nato is Nato, down to the last inch," Lt Gen Neumann stated.

He stressed a Russian assault on Estonia would demand "no different a response to an attack on London", describing an unwavering defence of both Baltic states and Nordic allies.

Lt Gen Neumann also extended an offer of German air defence assistance to Britain through Nato channels, should the UK seek such support amid ongoing concerns surrounding military preparedness.

"Britain is a Nato ally, so if it were the case that such a situation arose, then Nato could deploy air-defence assets to Great Britain to provide protection," he said, "as it is a Nato task, of course we would be there."

The general, who trained at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, holds a personal allegiance to the Royal Air Force.

His offer comes as Britain grapples with rebuilding the armed forces, following the abrupt departures of Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces minister Al Carns last week.

Reports have suggested British armed forces are stretched incredibly thin, with concerns over a lack of funds being funnelled into defence in a time of heightened international tensions.

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Despite Russia's failure to achieve air superiority over Ukraine after more than four years of full-scale warfare, Lt Gen Neumann warned against complacency over Moscow's capabilities.

He said: "Rule number one - never underestimate your opponent. So, whatever we see in Ukraine, we always have to be careful with assessments like, 'they don't do this or they can't do that'."

The general noted Russian forces' immediate experience of conflict means they have likely learned much from prolonged combat, while Nato has remained largely in peacetime.

He pointed to formidable aircraft, including the Su-35 Flanker and Su-57 Felon fighters, alongside the MiG-31 Foxhound, with cruise missiles, ballistic weapons and hypersonic systems that "must all be factored into threat assessments".

The German air force is currently shifting from decades of largely transport and reconnaissance duties, to preparing for full-scale deployment in the event of conflict.

Lt Gen Neumann is overseeing the major rearmament programme under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ambition to build Europe's strongest conventional military.

The general credited billions in government funding for plans to expand stockpiles of Patriot, Iris-T and Arrow 3 missile systems.

"In the past, we have sent, for example, Eurofighter contingents to the east flank, but we have never done so en masse, i.e. the whole operational air force - and that is the task of the next weeks and months," he said.

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