The publication notes that Schneider previously "had the opportunity to meet Putin's armed groups in person," as in 2014, while working as an observer for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in eastern Ukraine, he was kidnapped and held for a week by Russian military forces.
"We must be prepared for the possibility that fire will be opened in our country as well," said the military official responsible for the German region of Schleswig-Holstein.
Schneider specifically described the defense of Germany at this current moment as "an incredibly large challenge," and advocated for military communication with the population of the Federal Republic of Germany to be more "clear" regarding civil defense.
He urged the preparation of the country's population to manage without assistance for three days during emergencies "and not to immediately call upon the state or the mayor," as well as to equip more shelters for the citizens.
Schneider also recalled how in Kyiv and Dnipro, people "sat in the metro for weeks," and recommended that German authorities work on making these shelters suitable for use.
A German colonel believes that the threat from the aggressor country, Russia, is underestimated in Germany. According to him, if residents of Schleswig-Holstein called cities in the Baltic states, they would realize that "they have a completely different perception of the danger posed by Russia."