In this photo collage distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a flag-raising ceremony for the newest nuclear-powered strategic submarine of Project 955A (Borey-A) Knyaz Pozharsky in Severodvinsk on July 24, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov | AFP | Getty Images
Europe must face the reality of a “hybrid war” being waged against it, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, telling EU lawmakers that the series of incidents “were not random harassment” but part of a coordinated campaign to destabilize and weaken the bloc.
Recent drone and airspace raids, cyber attacks and election interference were just a few incidents cited by von der Leyen as examples of hybrid warfare against Europe.
“In the last two weeks alone, MiG fighters have violated Estonia’s airspace, and drones have flown over important sites in Belgium, Poland, Romania, Denmark and Germany. Flights have been grounded, planes have been scrambled, and countermeasures have been deployed to ensure the safety of our citizens,” von der Leyen said Wednesday during a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
“Make no mistake. This is part of a disturbing pattern of increasing threats. Across our union, Submarine cables have been cut“Airports and logistics centers have been crippled by cyberattacks, and malign influence campaigns have targeted elections,” von der Leyen said, adding emphatically: “This is a hybrid war, and we have to take it seriously.”
Although she did not directly blame Moscow for all of these incidents, she said that it was clear that “Russia wants to sow the seeds of division.”
Moscow has long been accused of being behind many “hybrid” attacks against its European neighbors, but it has repeatedly denied these accusations. CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for a response to von der Leyen’s recent statements and is awaiting a response.
What is hybrid warfare?
So what is hybrid warfare, or war? Simply put, it’s a way to wage a kind of war without looking like you’re doing it.
There is no specific definition of hybrid warfare, but defense, military and security experts agree that, essentially, it blends traditional military methods with more disruptive or irregular tactics aimed at disrupting, distracting and undermining adversaries.
US Marines look on board the USS Mesa Verde during Exercise North Coast 2023 in the Baltic Sea, September 18, 2023.
Janice License | Reuters
European countries on the periphery of the European Union, or those on the border with Russia, such as the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, or those in Eastern Europe such as Romania and Poland, are increasingly vulnerable to hybrid warfare attacks.
These incidents ranged from energy and communications infrastructure, such as sabotage of submarine cables, to Russian aircraft or submarines venturing into NATO airspace or territorial waters for short periods of time.
Russia has denied being behind many of these incidents, although it tends not to comment on its aircraft entering NATO airspace or drone incidents. Which led to the closure of Danish airports and the disruption of flights. A number of European officials accused Russia of being behind the obstruction, but the authorities said they had not yet found evidence of Russia’s involvement.
The EU’s von der Leyen said this is one of the hallmarks of hybrid warfare, as such incidents are “calculated to continue in the afterglow of denial.”
A sign warns of a no-fly zone in Copenhagen, Denmark, on September 29, 2025. From Monday, September 29, until Friday, October 3, all civilian drone flights in Danish airspace are prohibited in connection with the EU summit.
norphoto | norphoto | Getty Images
Russia’s campaign of hybrid activities in Europe has expanded significantly since Moscow’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine began more than three years ago, according to the British Daily Mail. a report It was published earlier this year by geopolitical and security intelligence service Dragonfly.
It has documented 219 incidents of suspected Russian hybrid warfare in Europe since 2014, including acts of sabotage, assassinations and electromagnetic attacks, such as GPS jamming. Of these incidents, 86% occurred since early 2022, and almost half (46%) occurred in 2024 alone.
The report noted that the Baltic states, Finland, Germany, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom would likely remain the main targets, due to their strong support for Ukraine.
Europe says it is ready to act
European officials are under no illusion that the time is right to work on strengthening regional security and defenses against malicious activities.
NATO members pledged earlier this year to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, and Europe pledged to mobilize its defense sector to meet its needs. The “permanent threat to European security” posed by Russiaas Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden told CNBC last week.
Member states last week discussed the creation of “flagship” defense projects such as the East Wing Surveillance Initiative, which it proposes to establish “Drone Wall” network. It would protect against airspace violations by drones. However, there is some ambivalence about the drone wall, with the German Defense Minister seemingly pouring cold water on the idea.
Luxembourg’s Frieden said the European Union did not want a conflict with Russia, but needed to protect itself.
“Hybrid attacks are clearly something that can happen anywhere — cables in the Baltic Sea, attacks on our IT systems, drones that could fly over some of our countries, and that shows that there is a certain kind of provocation that we have to take seriously,” Frieden said, adding: “I don’t want us to be at war with Russia… but we need to take “Threats taken seriously.”
He added, “We want to tell Russia: Don’t try, stop it, go back… (and that it has) no chance of invading Europe.”
https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/107302356-16950505702023-09-18t151811z_1243033248_rc22b3ahe66f_rtrmadp_0_ukraine-crisis-baltics-defence.jpeg?v=1695050592&w=1920&h=1080
Source link