‘War without battle’: Europe struggles to tackle mounting Russian hybrid attacks

Over the summer, Russian officials have intensified what is being called a "war without battle" through various hybrid tactics including sabotage, arson, cyberattacks, and airspace violations across Europe. On August 11, military divers from Romania destroyed two drones near a €4 billion (US$4.7 billion) energy project in the Black Sea. Nine days later, Bucharest scrambled F-16s to intercept another drone near the same gas platform. Additionally, German police detected an armed UAV at Leipzig airport earlier that month, and NATO jets recently downed a drone entering Lithuanian airspace from neighboring Belarus, which is allied with Russia. These actions are seen as increasingly aggressive and reckless by European officials who blame Moscow for these incidents. As the conflict in Ukraine continues without significant territorial changes or casualties slowing, the frequency and boldness of Russian hybrid attacks on European soil have escalated dramatically.