NATO says it can counter Russia as hybrid attacks risk rises in Europe
NATO is capable of dealing with sabotage and drone incidents in Europe and has strong plans in place, Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday, even as a new Danish intelligence assessment warned that Russia is likely to step up such attacks.
Rutte said the rise in hybrid incidents in NATO countries showed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was losing the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, and said the best response was to provide more weapons to Ukraine's armed forces. Speaking at a ceremony in New York marking the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, he said, "All the response options are there, and we will use whatever we need." He also said people in NATO's 32 member states could remain calm, adding, "Putin is in a bad place. He is not winning the war in Ukraine."
In a new risk assessment, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service said Russia was likely to intensify its hybrid campaign to pressure Western adversaries and NATO. It said, "This could include destructive cyberattacks that cripple critical societal functions as well as sabotage attacks that carry a high risk of casualties," and added, "Russia has become more willing to take risks."
The agency said hybrid attacks can be used to destabilise a country, test its defences, stretch its resources or shape public opinion, often in ways that make it difficult to identify those responsible. An Associated Press interactive map tracking hybrid attacks showed a sharp rise, from 59 incidents in March 2025 to more than 200 now.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had also warned last week that Russia was planning hybrid strikes using drones or rockets against European countries backing Ukraine, including Poland. He said Russia would probably present such attacks as "accidental" in order to "paralyze or at least weaken the motivation of NATO countries" to move quickly in defence of a member state under attack.
The Danish agency said there was "a low but growing risk that Russia will launch a limited military attack against one or several NATO countries bordering Russia", and that this "could potentially take place in the coming months". It said such a move would aim to divert European resources away from Ukraine and deepen divisions within NATO. At the same time, it said there were "no indications that Russia will launch an outright invasion of one or several NATO countries".
NATO and European Union officials have said Russia's armed forces remain heavily engaged in Ukraine and that no unusual military activity has been seen near European countries close to Russia.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said earlier this week that the current number of incidents did not suggest a conflict was close. "I don't think it's at a volume that would mean that it's the beginning," he said on Tuesday in Iowa, where he took part in a panel on NATO with Rutte. He added, "I don't think that it's in anybody's interest to head towards a conflict," and said, "I think one of the things that we have to be very careful (about) is overreacting to any sort of hybrid activity." He said, "We haven't reached that threshold."
The warnings from Denmark and Poland have added to concerns about Russia's hybrid activities, but NATO has said it has response plans in place, while US officials have stressed that the current incidents do not yet point to an imminent wider conflict.
