NATO leader says alliance is prepared for potential Russian hybrid attack

NATO is prepared to meet Russian cyberattacks and other forms of hybrid warfare head-on, the alliance’s secretary general said, as he pressed member states to step up assistance to Ukraine in response to Moscow’s tactics.

“Russia is doing more and more when it comes to the cyber etc. domain, but… NATO is ready for this,” Mark Rutte said.

Pointing to what he described as a suite of deterrence and response measures, he added: “We have all these response options in place… when it comes to hybrids to make sure that we stay strong,” the NATO chief said, urging countries to provide “more support for Ukraine” if they “really want to give a signal to the Russians on every hybrid incident, hybrid attack.”

Across Europe, governments have remained on heightened alert for potential Russian interference, concerned that Kyiv’s Western supporters could become targets as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine stretches into its fifth year.

Mark Rutte insisted NATO was ‘ready’ for hybrid attacks

Mr Rutte spoke after the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) warned that Russia is likely to expand hybrid activity aimed at targets in the West, even as the agency assessed that a full-scale invasion by Moscow was “highly unlikely” — though not impossible.

Last week, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk also raised the alarm over what he called “hybrid” threats from Russia, including the possibility of drone and missile strikes affecting Ukraine’s allies.

Poland — a NATO and EU member on the alliance’s eastern flank — has repeatedly accused Russia of “sabotage” since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“There is a low but growing risk that Russia will launch a limited military attack against one or several NATO countries bordering Russia,” Thomas Ahrenkiel, the head of the DDIS, told a press conference where he delivered the agency’s updated threat assessment on Russia.

He said the service still viewed it as “highly unlikely that Russia would see any interest in invading a NATO country, but we cannot rule it out”.

In its assessment, the intelligence service said Russia would likely escalate so-called “hybrid attacks” against Western targets.

It noted that earlier operations had “mainly been aimed at creating fear and weakening public support for aid to Ukraine”.

More recently, however, the agency said the focus has broadened to efforts designed to disrupt the flow of assistance to Ukraine — including sabotage targeting defence companies or railway shipments carrying military equipment.

The DDIS said it expects Moscow to intensify such activity, potentially extending to “destructive cyber attacks that cripple critical societal functions”.

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The agency also judged there is a low risk that Russia could attempt a limited military attack even if the war in Ukraine continues, in a bid to pull European attention and resources away from supporting Kyiv.

“A limited military attack would be a desperate move on Russia’s part and, like the intensified hybrid attacks, could potentially take place in the coming months,” the agency said.

At the same time, it cautioned that “a build-up of forces would require several months of preparation and will be difficult to conceal.”

Mr Ahrenkiel also underscored that while “Russia’s increased willingness to take risks has consequences for the security situation in Denmark”, particularly through hybrid operations, it does not signal an imminent assault on the Scandinavian country.

“We do not expect a conventional Russian military attack against Denmark,” he stressed.