NATO must be prepared to respond to the growing hybrid threats to protect the territory of its member states. This was stated on Thursday by the alliance's commander-in-chief, Alexus Grinkevich, as reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
Hybrid threats refer to both military and non-military tactics aimed at undermining an adversary's security, and typically include cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, sabotage of critical infrastructure, and the use of drones or irregular armed groups.
"Hybrid threats are a real problem, and I think we can expect this to happen more often," Alexus Grinkevich, a US Air Force general who serves as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) for NATO, told reporters at the alliance's military headquarters.
Speaking about recent incidents in Europe, Grinkevich said that some of them were reckless, and some were deliberate. He said it was important to say who was behind the hybrid incidents, and that the alliance knew that Russia was behind some of them.
"We are also thinking about being proactive... If Russia is trying to create dilemmas for us, then perhaps there are ways we could create dilemmas for them," he said, adding that NATO is a defensive alliance, and "there is nothing offensive about that."
Addendum
The publication notes that Russia regularly denies accusations that it is behind drone incidents or cyberattacks affecting Western countries. It also denies any plans to attack NATO, which has been providing Ukraine with weapons, intelligence, and other assistance since Moscow's invasion in 2022.