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NATO hybrid warfare: more aggressive responses against Moscow being considered

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NATO hybrid warfare is at the centre of the Alliance’s new strategic assessments

NATO hybrid warfare has become one of the most sensitive issues in recent weeks, with the Alliance committed to redefining its stance on cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations attributed to Russia. Confirming that the issue is on the table is Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, who explained to the Financial Times how a “more aggressive” response than in the past is being considered: “We are analysing everything… on the cyber front, we are reactive, but being more aggressive or proactive is a real possibility”.

In recent years, Europe has been hit by several episodes of hybrid warfare attributable to Moscow. Many diplomats, particularly in the east of the continent, have called on NATO to stop limiting itself to reactionary measures and to adopt a strategy capable of deterring attacks. In the cyber sector, analysts note, a counterattack would be technically simpler, while responses to physical sabotage or drone intrusions remain more complex.

NATO hybrid warfare: legal issues and the question of “pre-emptive strikes”

For Dragone, pre-emptive action could be considered a form of self-defence, but this type of approach raises legal and jurisdictional issues: “Being more aggressive than our counterpart’s aggression could be an option, but it remains to be defined who does it and under what legal framework”.

One of the Alliance’s most effective initiatives, the Financial Times points out, has been the Baltic Sentry mission, with naval, aircraft and drone patrols in the Baltic Sea. Since the operation began, there have been no new cases of sabotage of submarine cables, following the incidents in 2023 and 2024 linked to the so-called Russian “shadow fleet”: ‘This deterrence is working,’ Dragone said.

The urgency of a more inventive strategy

According to a Baltic diplomat, continuing to act only in defence encourages Russia to continue with low-cost but high-impact actions: “Hybrid warfare is asymmetrical: it costs them little and us a lot. We need creativity in our response”.

Dragone acknowledges that NATO operates within stricter limits than its counterpart, due to international law, democratic processes and ethical standards. The central challenge, he explains, is to strengthen deterrence to prevent new future aggression: a delicate balance between retaliation, prevention and shared rules that will define the next chapter of NATO’s hybrid warfare.

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