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x.com/mikenov/status/2101178…Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) #GlobalSecurity #HybridWarfare #Russia
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– AI Mode – Today
Russian hybrid warfare has dramatically intensified across Europe, shifting from a theoretical concept to a highly disruptive, coordinated campaign aimed at breaking Western resolve. According to intelligence data, Russian hybrid operations in Europe quadrupled from 2023 to 2024, with more than 150 documented incidents occurring since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. [1, 2, 3]
The primary objective of these non-military and sub-conventional operations is to intimidate liberal democracies and degrade their continuous political, logistical, and military support for Ukraine. [2, 4]
🔎 Key Pillars of Russia’s Hybrid Strategy
Russian actions span multiple domains—from the ocean floor to cyberspace—leveraging deniability to operate just below the threshold of open military conflict: [1, 2]Physical Sabotage & Arson: Authorities have attributed multiple localized infrastructure attacks to Moscow-backed actors, including fires at a drone manufacturing facility in Estonia, arson at a UK warehouse, and plots targeting a U.S. military base in Europe. [3, 5]
Airspace Violations & Kinetic Near-Misses: NATO fighter jets have increasingly been scrambled to intercept or shoot down unmanned aerial vehicles entering allied airspace, such as recent incursions over Lithuania and Romania. In August 2026, German authorities defused an explosive-laden drone found near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. [3, 4, 6]
Maritime & Infrastructure Aggression: Operations target Critical Underwater Infrastructure (CUI), alongside aggressive maneuvers in international waters, such as a Russian frigate firing flares at a Danish Navy helicopter in the Baltic Sea. [1, 3]
Information and Cyber Warfare: Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, global positioning system (GPS) jamming affecting commercial aviation, and weaponized migration tactics on eastern borders are routinely deployed to sow domestic chaos and exhaust state resources. [1]📊 Evolving Responses and Western Strategy
The escalation has triggered a profound shift in how European and transatlantic security architectures approach collective defense.
State / OrganizationCurrent Security Stance & Strategic ActionsFrancePresident Emmanuel Macron ordered an emergency protection plan targeting critical national infrastructure and defense industry sites. French military sources acknowledge that dynamic, unpublicized conventional counter-measures are already actively deployed.Poland & Baltic StatesCalling for unified regional defense, leadership emphasizes that Russia is testing NATO’s borders before its military can fully restore conventional combat readiness (projected between 2027 and 2029).NATOFocusing on integrating domestic intelligence services deeper into the alliance structure to establish baseline early-warning networks against sub-threshold sabotage.European UnionDebating institutional escalations—such as a centralized European Security Council—to transition away from fragmented, country-by-country responses toward unified political and economic retaliation.
💡 The Strategic Shift: Beyond “Hybrid” War
Security analysts and European officials increasingly argue that labeling these actions as mere “hybrid maneuvers” or “grey-zone conflict” downplays the reality. Because Western intelligence heavily underpins deep Ukrainian strikes against Russian military assets, Moscow treats European infrastructure as active, non-traditional battlegrounds. The consensus among defense planners is clear: Europe must prepare for a prolonged campaign where the boundaries between cyber, irregular, and conventional warfare remain permanently blurred. [1, 7, 8]
[1] congress.gov
[2] bbc.com
[3] youtube.com
[4] reuters.com
[5] csis.org
[6] washingtonexaminer.com
[7] philarchive.org
[8] lemonde.fr– Google Search google.com/search?q=Global+S…— https://x.com/mikenov/status/2101178939796263305
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Sep 19, 2026
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