NATO Chief Urges Europe to Brace for More Russian Hybrid Attacks

Europe must be ready for a world where Russia is regularly committing sabotage, arson and other hybrid attacks on its soil, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned.

“We see Russia testing us across Europe,” Rutte said, speaking to reporters Thursday in Germany alongside Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. “We must be prepared for Russia’s campaign of hostile actions against allies to continue. We must all remain vigilant, we must all remain alert.”

Merz echoed the sentiment, saying Germany wouldn’t be deterred, noting the country was upping its military spending. Jetten added that Germany and the Netherlands were boosting intelligence cooperation “to an unprecedented level.”

The remarks underscore Europe’s mounting anxiety over Moscow’s provocations as it grinds through a fifth year of full-scale war in Ukraine. European officials say the Kremlin is conducting an increasingly brazen campaign of so-called hybrid warfare in the region — assassinations, industrial sabotage and other deniable tactics — aimed at eroding European support for Ukraine.

Russia denies it’s conducting such operations.

The three leaders were speaking days after Russia also sent NATO a startling nuclear threat over its exclave of Kaliningrad. Moscow warned that it was ready to use its entire weapons arsenal to defend the strategic Baltic territory if the alliance tried to sever it from the rest of the country.

Read More: NATO Condemns ‘Nuclear Rhetoric’ in Tense Exchange With Russia

Rutte stressed that Europe should not panic over such threats, which Moscow has issued at various points since launching its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Keep calm, carry on and continue the support for Ukraine,” the NATO chief said. “Keep calm because we have what it takes. We have what it takes to defend every inch of allied territory.”