Russia is at ‘hybrid war’ with Europe, warns EU chief, calling for members ‘to take it very seriously’

Russia is behind a campaign of cyberattacks, sabotage and provocation across Europe, according to the president of the European Commission, who warned on Wednesday morning: “It is time to call it by its name. This is hybrid warfare, and we have to take it very seriously.”

In a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Ursula von der Leyen described “a worrying pattern of growing threats” across the bloc, including MiG fighters recently violating Estonian airspace and drones being flown “over critical sites in Belgium, Poland, Romania, Denmark and Germany.”

Over the past year, similar sightings of drones also have been made in the United Kingdom, which deployed a counter-drone unit to Denmark last week following “incidents near civilian and military installations” at the same time as Copenhagen hosted two major European summits. Britain is not part of the EU.

Von der Leyen said a blueprint for a pan-European security plan, coordinated closely with NATO, was presented to EU leaders during one of these Copenhagen summits. The EU needed to “urgently equip itself with a strategic capacity to respond” to Russian hybrid warfare, she warned.

Citing how “undersea cables have been cut, airports and logistics hubs paralysed by cyberattacks, and elections targeted by malign influence campaigns,” von der Leyen cautioned that while the spate of incidents were “calculated to linger in the twilight of deniability” they should not be mistaken for “random harassment.”

Instead the incidents formed part of “a coherent and escalating campaign to unsettle our citizens, test our resolve, divide our Union, and weaken our support for Ukraine,” she said. While the speech did not explicitly attribute every incident it referenced to Russia, it countered suggestions they were unconnected, and did explicitly accuse Russia of engaging in hybrid war.

“To those who still doubt, look at what is happening. One incident may be a mistake. Two, a coincidence. But three, five, ten? This is a deliberate and targeted grey zone campaign against Europe. And Europe must respond. We must investigate every incident. And we must not shy away from attributing responsibility. Because every square centimetre of our territory must be protected and safe,” she said.

“Tackling Russia's hybrid war is not only about traditional defence. It is about software for drones and spare parts for pipelines. It is about rapid cyber-response teams and public information campaigns to spread awareness,” she added.

“This requires a completely new mind-set for all of us. We must be ready to leave our comfort zone. We need to explore new ways of doing things. And most importantly, we must deter everyone who seeks to harm our territory and our people. The choice before us is simple. We can either shy away and watch Russian threats escalate, or we meet them with unity, deterrence and resolve. I know which side we will choose.”