Europe warns of Russia’s hybrid attacks but struggles to counter them

If President Vladimir V. Putin was hoping to get Europeans’ attention, he’s succeeded with a series of close-call incursions. The question now is what they will do about it. Lara Jakes covers NATO and has written extensively about shadow warfare targeting Europe. An explosive-laden drone at a German airport. A strike on a passenger train near the Polish border. A rush of warnings about more chaos to come. If President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was hoping to heap pressure on Ukraine’s closest allies, he’s succeeded with a series of provocations that Western officials have blamed on Russia and said could put citizens of NATO countries in danger. The question is how Europe responds. In the past week, European leaders have spoken with uncommon urgency about Russia’s shadow war. Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, citing unspecified intelligence, said Moscow may be planning attacks in Europe . “No one is safe,” President Emmanuel Macron of France cautioned . The British prime minister, Andy Burnham, told the U.N. General Assembly that his country faced an “industrial-scale assault” in terms of information warfare. Their theory is that Mr. Putin, bogged down on the battlefield, is stepping up attacks on Ukraine’s supporters, hoping to sow fear and panic and, ultimately, weaken their support for Kyiv. It won’t work, says the NATO secretary, Mark Rutte.

Missing media or need the complete publisher report? Open New York Times World ↗