Russia is stepping up its sabotage activities, cyberattacks and all kinds of hybrid aggression across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine, European politicians announced, while at the same time rejecting concerns that Moscow is capable of a direct attack on NATO, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
On the sidelines of the ongoing 81st annual session of the United Nations General Assembly this week, representatives of countries on the eastern flank of NATO said that Moscow is increasingly directing drones into the airspace of other countries, carrying out cyberattacks, sabotage and a series of covert operations to sow fear, test the resolve of the West and weaken support for Kiev.
"Europe is facing a rapid increase in sabotage attacks and airspace violations," EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kalas told reporters. "Moscow is trying to intimidate Europe into limiting its support for Ukraine," she added.
European governments increasingly see the most immediate threat from Russia not as a conventional military attack but as a campaign of covert actions for which it can deny responsibility. These actions are aimed at destabilizing Ukraine's allies and undermining Western unity in the more than 4-1/2-year-old war.
Kalas noted that Russia appears willing to take greater risks, and said the response must be to increase pressure on Moscow through tougher sanctions, including measures targeting its "shadow fleet" and its military-industrial complex. “The economy is one of Russia's weakest points at the moment and we need to increase the pressure on it to stop Moscow from this war“, the EU's high representative for foreign policy and security said.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said such activity by Russia was no longer just a threat. “These are not just threats; these are real attacks,” Sikorski told Reuters, referring to arson, explosions, drone incursions and what Warsaw described as the deliberate targeting of a cruise missile into its airspace.
The Polish army's operational command said on Friday that a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter had briefly entered the country's airspace from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. "Our F-16 fighter jets are on alert almost every day because you never know when approaching drones or missiles could pose a real threat," he said.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Coiu told Reuters that Bucharest had recorded more than 100 cases of drones entering or debris falling on the country's territory as Russia stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure near the Danube River and the Black Sea. "We have no data to show that we are a direct target, but that does not change Russia's responsibility for the risk it poses," she said.
Despite the incidents, the ministers drew a distinction between Russia's covert campaign and the possibility of a direct attack on NATO territory. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Reuters that raising the alarm with predictions of an imminent Russian attack on alliance territory was unfounded.
"We see no signs that Russia is capable of or even preparing for any kind of active military aggression against NATO or European countries“, he said, emphasizing that Moscow does not have the necessary capacity for such an operation while its forces are heavily engaged in hostilities in Ukraine.
According to him, Moscow's campaign is mainly aimed at instilling fear and division in Western societies. "The goal is mainly to create fear - fear of escalating tensions, to bring division and to undermine our unity,“ Tsahkna said. "The main message is: Don't let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin play on the fear of escalation," he added.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budris said intelligence from allies indicated a danger of Russia trying to increase pressure on NATO countries through attacks on strategic infrastructure and other forms of hybrid actions.
"On the Russian side, there are intentions for a horizontal, so to speak, or geographical escalation of hostile actions," Budris told Reuters. He warned that "Russia will use the cold as a weapon" and called on European countries to provide more support to Kiev, noting that assistance from individual EU countries remained uneven.