Ministers and intelligence agencies from several NATO countries have declared that Russia is waging a hybrid war in Europe with increasing aggression, which could ultimately lead to tragic consequences.
“Its clear purpose is to destabilize us and to destabilize us in the deepest way“, said German Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, at a conference of the country’s internal intelligence service, BfV (quoted by Reuters). “The objectives of the shadow war we are witnessing today far exceed anything we saw during the Cold War.“
The risk of human lives being lost is escalating, and NATO members must prepare for a decisive response to a potential deadly hybrid attack from Russia, declared the Polish foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, for Financial Times.
“As long as we’re talking about material damages, it’s one thing, but if people start to die, we, the ones from NATO, will need to have a very serious conversation,” he added, acknowledging that there is not yet a consensus on what constitutes a situation where “the Russians have gone too far.”
The Director of the Czech Security Service, Michal Koudelka, has warned lawmakers that Russia might resort to riskier and larger-scale operations in the coming months, writes Moscow Times. Moscow seems to be intensifying its military actions to achieve the de-escalation of tensions in Ukraine, forcing Europe to reduce its support, he said.
“This could include sabotage attacks on NATO territory against a facility providing aid to Ukraine, drone or missile attacks against a weapons depot intended for Ukraine, or, in extreme cases, even limited military actions against one of Russia’s neighboring countries – members of the alliance.“
In its hybrid operations, Russia practically uses any tool – from disinformation to sabotage and assassinations in Germany, stated the BfV director, Sinan Selen. Responding to a question about the drone incident at the Leipzig cargo airport, which is used for deliveries to Ukraine, Selen said he expects more such operations.
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