FILE PHOTO: European flags fly outside the EU commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium
MOTORCYCLE SPORTS | Published November 25, 2024
Europe is grappling with an increasingly aggressive Russia employing hybrid warfare tactics—cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and sabotage. From severed telecommunications cables to incendiary parcel bombs, the Kremlin’s actions have escalated beyond mere political interference. Despite the growing threats, NATO and the EU have shown reluctance to respond forcefully, raising critical questions about the continent’s readiness and strategy.
The Kremlin’s Hybrid Warfare Playbook
Russia’s aggressive actions, attributed to General Valery Gerasimov’s doctrine, are a masterclass in hybrid warfare, blending traditional and unconventional methods to destabilize Europe without triggering NATO’s Article 5. Key tactics include:
Sabotage and Espionage: Incendiary bombs at German and British facilities and suspected involvement in arson attacks across Europe.
Cyber Warfare: Disruptions to critical infrastructure and misinformation targeting political and social cohesion.
Disinformation Campaigns: Narratives designed to stoke fears, such as linking refugee crises to public health scares.
Why Europe Isn’t Fighting Back
Fear of Escalation
Experts like Daniel Byman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies highlight Europe’s concerns over escalating the conflict, potentially leading to broader military engagement.
NATO’s Limitations
NATO’s framework is geared toward conventional warfare, leaving it ill-equipped for hybrid threats. The ambiguity surrounding hybrid warfare and difficulty attributing attacks complicate collective responses.
Internal Divisions
Countries like Hungary and Turkey have shown sympathy towards Russia, undermining EU and NATO unity.
Defensive Posture
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen summed up Europe’s stance as “too polite,” reflecting the continent’s reluctance to transition from defense to offense.
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SOURCE: www.motorcyclesports.net
RELATED: Europe is under attack from Russia. Why isn’t it fighting back?
Western countries have shied away from reacting to Kremlin acts of sabotage and terror.
POLITICO | Published November 25, 2024
If not for a delay in a connecting flight, the incendiary bomb would likely have burst into flames in the belly of a plane flying high above the European Union.
Instead, it ignited on the ground in Germany’s Leipzig airport, setting fire to a DHL air freight container.
Western intelligence officials believe the attack, which took place in July, was a trial run by Russian agents who planned to place similar bombs on flights to the United States.
“We have been observing aggressive actions by the Russian intelligence services for some time now,” said Thomas Haldenwang, who recently stepped down as president of Germany’s federal domestic intelligence agency.
“Russia is using the entire toolbox, from influencing political discussions to cyber attacks on critical infrastructure to sabotage on a significant scale,” he said.
The Kremlin has long carried out so-called hybrid warfare against European countries, including disinformation campaigns, hacking, cyberattacks and election interference to destabilize European societies and, in the past few years, push them to decrease military support for Ukraine.
Last week, Germany said that two undersea telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea were severed as a result of sabotage.
“We have to conclude, without knowing exactly who did it, that it is a hybrid action and we also have to assume — without knowing it — that it is sabotage,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
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SOURCE: www.politico.eu
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