NATO's top commander urges Europe to publicly blame Russia for hybrid operations
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grinkevich, called on European countries to publicly name Russia as responsible for sabotage and other destabilizing actions, arguing that public attribution would raise the cost for organizers and deter further operations. Speaking on Monday at a European Parliament committee meeting, Grinkevich framed Russian hybrid activity in Europe as aimed at weakening allied support for Kyiv, and said NATO's Eastern Sentry mission is already affecting Russian drone behavior near NATO borders.
Key points
- Alexus Grinkevich is NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
- He addressed a committee of the European Parliament on Monday.
- He called on European countries to publicly attribute sabotage and hybrid operations to Russia.
- He said Russia's activity in Europe aims to weaken allied support for Kyiv.
- He stated NATO's Eastern Sentry mission, launched September 11, is already affecting Russian drone behavior near NATO borders.
- Eastern Sentry involves forces and assets from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Germany.
- European intelligence chiefs have warned of intensified sabotage, cyberattacks and provocations in coming months, possibly including a limited incursion onto Alliance territory.
- No NATO consensus exists on whether or when hybrid incidents could trigger Article 5.
Why it matters
NATO's top military commander is explicitly urging a political response — public attribution — to Russian hybrid operations, and framing those operations as aimed at eroding allied support for Ukraine. The call comes as European intelligence chiefs warn of an upcoming intensification of sabotage, cyberattacks and provocations, including possibly a limited incursion onto Alliance territory. Eastern Sentry is being cited as already producing behavioral changes in Russian drone activity, suggesting deterrence is possible. There is still no NATO consensus on whether or when hybrid incidents could trigger Article 5.
What happened
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grinkevich, told a committee of the European Parliament on Monday that European countries should publicly name Russia as responsible for sabotage and other destabilizing actions. He argued that publicly attributing such operations would raise their cost for organizers and have a deterrent effect, and said Russia's activities in Europe are aimed at weakening allies' willingness to continue supporting Kyiv. Grinkevich stated that NATO initiatives, including the Eastern Sentry mission launched on September 11 with forces and assets from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, are already having an effect on the ground. He said Russia has become significantly more cautious with drones near NATO borders since the mission began, and reported that Russian drones are now trying to avoid crossing into Baltic countries and Poland. He also said allies have stepped up intelligence-sharing in response to the wave of sabotage and other incidents likely linked to Russia, and called for calm in the face of threats from Moscow. European intelligence chiefs have warned of possible escalation of Russian hybrid operations in coming months, including sabotage, provocations, influence campaigns and potentially a limited incursion onto Alliance territory, with intensified attacks expected on rail infrastructure, defense enterprises and other facilities linked to support for Ukraine. NATO has acknowledged it does not yet have an official plan to respond to the growing number of Russian hybrid attacks, and allies have not reached consensus on the threshold at which a cumulative set of hybrid incidents could trigger Article 5.
Background
European countries have reported a rise in sabotage, cyberattacks and drone incidents linked to Russia in recent months. Specific recent incidents cited include a drone attack in Leipzig and a Russian strike on a train in Ukraine near the Polish border earlier this month. NATO's Eastern Sentry mission was launched on September 11 with forces and assets from Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. European intelligence chiefs expect intensified attacks on rail infrastructure, defense enterprises and other facilities linked to support for Ukraine. NATO has previously acknowledged it does not yet have an official plan to respond to the growing number of Russian hybrid attacks.