Accuses Russia of waging hybrid war

‘We are under attack’: Italian defense minister accuses Russia of waging hybrid war

It is “absurd” that there is so little reaction, wrote Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.

By Hannah Roberts

Italy’s defense minister is calling for the West to fight back against increasing numbers of potentially “catastrophic” Russian hybrid attacks.

In a 125-page paper published on Tuesday afternoon, Guido Crosetto condemned "inertia" by European and NATO states in the face of ever-more-brazen Russian aggression.

"The hybrid war is continual and attacks critical infrastructure, decision-making centers, essential services and the fabric of each country, with daily and growing risks of catastrophic damage," he wrote in the paper titled Countering Hybrid Warfare: An Active Strategy. "We are under attack and the hybrid bombs continue to fall: The time to act is now."

It is "absurd" and "unsustainable" that the West is doing so little to react to Russian attacks, Crosetto wrote. If we were invaded by a land army we "would not simply barricade ourselves at home hoping they would go away." 

The West is engaged in an "asymmetric conflict," he wrote, it has the tools to respond but, shackled by its own democratic processes and the slow and consensus-driven decision-making of the EU and NATO, its actions are “constantly lagging” behind Russia’s.

Other countries that pose a threat include China, Iran and North Korea, he wrote.

The frequency of hybrid attacks its rising, as Vladimir Putin's Kremlin uses the “integrated use of military and non-military tools to destabilize its competitors, erode their internal cohesion and influence their political will.”

Attacks include: accusations that a notorious Russian military intelligence hacking group targeted defense, transport and tech firms involved in helping Ukraine; arson attacks on depots containing equipment destined for Ukraine in Poland; Russian ally Belarus weaponizing migrants to destabilize Poland; drones of unknown origin buzzing airports across the continent; and Moscow being accused of undermining the presidential election in Romania.

Poland called a Sunday rail line explosion "sabotage" and on Tuesday blamed two Ukrainians working for Russia.

Globsec, a Prague-based think tank, calculated there were more than 110 acts of sabotage and attempted attacks carried out in Europe between January and July, mainly in Poland and France, by people with links to Russia.

The West risks allowing Russia to win "through attrition," warned Crosetto.

Russia is also targeting countries supporting Ukraine with disinformation and manipulation of public opinion, Crosetto wrote. “These tools ... indirectly affect the beliefs, resilience, decision-making sovereignty and political stability of states.”

To counter Russian hybrid attacks, Crosetto proposed establishing a European Center for Countering Hybrid Warfare, a 1,500-strong cyber force, as well as military personnel specialized in artificial intelligence, the protection of supply chains and disinformation experts.