Franz-Stefan, the Russians are coming

Austria is something special. It is also neutral. Combined with the sense of being the “Middle Kingdom”—a nation of global significance and mediation—this creates a naive mindset that somehow leads to the feeling that the world is none of our business and that we can’t do anything about it anyway. But what if that has changed? What if the sleepy world of pre-1989, with the secure border of the Iron Curtain and the Eastern and Western blocs, is truly a thing of the past? And what if history returns and something can actually happen (which it has actually been doing all along…)

Franz-Stefan Gady, a well-traveled military analyst, offers a little wake-up call: “Überfall – Wenn der Krieg zu uns kommt” presents a scenario in which the “Island of the Blessed” is touched by harsh reality. The Russians want to intervene in the Baltics; NATO stands in their way. Neutral Austria becomes a target: train stations, transport routes, and highway bridges are bombed, blown up, and sabotaged. Everything comes to a standstill—can the Alpine republic pull it off?

The fun part of scenario literature is, of course, the narrative, which Gady manages to make both entertaining and suspenseful. This offers an intimate look at how state crisis management is organized—and where we already know it will fail. And the purpose: it is meant to awaken the realization that, in light of the war in Ukraine and global changes, national defense capability is a necessity. Admittedly, a lot of water has flowed down the Danube since the time when the Austrian Armed Forces, under the Burgenland defense expert ff., had already given up on themselves. But the seasoned Austrian still knows how the security apparatus in the country works. We’re buying up equipment now, but we’re failing on the extension of conscription because it not only costs money but also hurts. No victory in the PR war. Gady storms the debate with compelling arguments and a compelling read. “Franz-Stefan, the Russians are coming…” They’re already here. And by the way, the much-loved substitute identity of neutrality was once a poisoned gift from the Russians, who wanted to isolate Austria in the postwar period. And for the Gady scenario, which involves drones, missiles, and sabotage, there were still nuclear bombs during the Cold War. So it’s not that unrealistic. But: Happy are those who forget. Bring on the spritzer…

“Überfall – Wenn der Krieg zu uns kommt” by Franz-Stefan Gady, Molden Verlag, Vienna 2026, 160 pages – available at well-stocked bookstores or on Amazon.