Politico: Europe Plans Active Actions Against Russian Federation

27.11.2025, 8:57
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The tone is changing in European capitals.

Russian drones and agents continue to launch attacks against NATO countries, and Europe is doing what seemed unthinkable just a few years ago: beginning to plan a response. Ideas range from joint offensive cyber operations against Russia and faster and more coordinated attribution of hybrid attacks - with an instant pinpoint on Moscow - to surprise NATO-led exercises.

"The Russians are constantly testing the limits - what will be the response, how far can they go? A more proactive response is needed. It is not talk but action that sends a signal," Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braža said in an interview with Politico.

Russian hybrid strikes in Europe

In recent weeks and months, Russian UAVs have violated Polish and Romanian airspace, and mysterious drones have "disabled" airports and military bases across Europe. Other incidents included GPS jamming, aircraft and ship incursions, and an explosion on an important railroad line in Poland carrying military aid to Ukraine.

"In general, Europe and the alliance need to ask themselves how long we are willing to tolerate this type of hybrid warfare ... and whether it is not time for us to become more active in this field ourselves," said German Defense Ministry State Secretary Florian Hahn.

Hybrid attacks are reportedly nothing new. In recent years, Russia has allegedly sent assassins to Britain, bombed munitions depots in Central Europe, tried to destabilize the EU by funding far-right parties, waged information warfare and interfered in elections in countries such as Romania and Moldova.

But the scale and frequency of the current attacks are unprecedented. The Globsec think tank estimates that between January and July there were more than 110 acts of sabotage and attempted attacks in Europe, mostly in Poland and France, by individuals linked to Moscow.

"Today's world offers a much more open - one might say creative - space for foreign policy. We are closely watching the growing militarization of Europe. Is this just rhetoric or is it time for us to react?" said Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin at a Valdai Club meeting.

The media writes that Russia may view the EU and NATO as rivals or even enemies. However, Europe does not want war with a nuclear power, so it needs to find a way to contain Moscow without crossing the Kremlin's red lines that could lead to an open clash. That does not mean the need to hide, said Sweden's defense chief, General Michael Klesson: "We cannot afford to be afraid of escalation. We have to be firm."

So far, however, the answer has been to step up defenses, journalists stressed. After Russian drones were shot down over Poland, NATO announced it was strengthening air defense on its eastern flank - a similar move by the EU. And even that is drawing Moscow's ire.

Frequent Russian provocations are changing the tone of European capitals. After sending 10,000 troops to protect key infrastructure in Poland hit by a railroad sabotage, Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Moscow of "state terrorism."

EU diplomatic chief Kaya Kallas called such threats "an extreme danger" and said the EU must "give a strong response."

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crozetto, for example, sharply criticized Europe's passivity in the face of growing hybrid attacks and presented a detailed, 125-page response plan. In it, he proposes the creation of a European Center for Combating Hybrid Threats, the formation of a cyber unit of about 1,500 specialists, and the training of military experts in artificial intelligence.

Transition from words to deeds

Despite the toughening rhetoric, the question of what exactly the "more powerful" response should be remains open, the media outlet says.

The piece says that part of the dilemma is related to the different approaches of Moscow and Brussels. As Professor Kevin Limonnier of the Paris-based GEODE center notes, the EU is forced to act within the law: "An ethical and philosophical question arises: can states living by the rules use the same tools and strategies as Russia?"

Some countries are moving toward gradually strengthening legislation. Germany and Romania are already preparing rules that would allow security forces to shoot down drones over airports and other strategic sites. Intelligence services, in turn, can operate in a more "gray zone." Denmark and the Czech Republic already authorize offensive cyber operations.

Allies need to "be more proactive in cyber offensive" and increase intelligence coordination, Braja said. In practice, countries could use cyberattacks against facilities critical to the Russian war machine, such as the Alabuga Technopark in Tatarstan, where Shahed drones are produced, as well as energy facilities or arms echelons.

Europe also needs to step up its work against Russian disinformation - including inside Russia. "Russian public opinion ... is pretty closed. We need allies who understand Russian thinking well - that means deeper cooperation in information warfare," said one military official.

But any new measures "must maintain plausible deniability," an EU diplomat emphasized.

Demonstration of Force

NATO, as a defensive alliance, is extremely cautious about offensive action. "Asymmetric responses are an important part of the discussion, but we are not going to stoop to Russia's tactics," a NATO diplomat said.

Instead, the alliance should demonstrate unity and strength: quickly pointing out publicly Moscow's involvement in hybrid attacks and conducting surprise exercises near Russia's borders in Lithuania and Estonia, according to former alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.

In the meantime, the Hybrid Threat Center in Helsinki is helping allies develop policies and training.

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Politico: Europe Plans Active Actions Against Russian Federation

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