NATO warns of high risk of Russian hybrid attacks

James Appathurai, a Canadian diplomat serving as NATO's official in charge of hybrid and cyber warfare, stated that there is a high probability of a non-conventional attack by Russia on North Atlantic Alliance countries, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

In an interview with Sky News, Appathurai said the 32 member countries are already "deep in the water" with what they suspect are Russian hybrid attacks across Europe, the U.S., and Canada.

During the interview, he discussed activities such as cutting submarine cables, sabotaging buildings, and planting incendiary devices inside aircraft since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“We can certainly list dozens, maybe up to 100, but there are also attacks that have been thwarted,” said Appathurai.

Appathurai, who is working on NATO's strategy to combat hybrid warfare, emphasized a "real possibility" of a non-conventional Russian attack that could result in "significant casualties." The scale of these attacks is nearing a level that would have been "completely unacceptable" five years ago, he added.

In recent months, there have been a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea, including damage to communication and electrical cables. Finnish officials are currently investigating an incident and have also seized a tanker carrying Russian oil.

NATO has announced it will bolster its presence in the sensitive region where Russia shares a coastline with North Atlantic Alliance countries: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.