WW3 fears erupt as NATO states plan retaliatory strikes against Russia | World | News
European members of NATO are considering carrying out robust retaliatory strikes agains Russia in response to Moscow’s campaign of hybrid warfare. The Kremlin has sought to destabilise and cause panic across the continent through a variety of aggressive provocations.
In recent weeks, Russian drones have violated Polish and Romanian airspace, while airports have been brought to a standstill following sightings of mysterious UAVS. Other incidents have involved incursions by Russian fighter jets and naval vessels. Perhaps the most brazen act to date was the bombing of a Polish rail line that is used to transport military aid to Ukraine.
The frequency and volume of attacks is causing considerable concern in European capitals. Over 110 acts of sabotage and attempted attacks were carried out in Europe between January and July by people with links to Moscow, according to data from Prague-based think tank, Globsec.
The question now is whether Europe is prepared to stand up and decisively retaliate.
“Overall, Europe and the alliance must ask themselves how long we are willing to tolerate this type of hybrid warfare,” German State Secretary for Defence Florian Hahn told Welt TV last week. “Whether we should consider becoming more active ourselves in this area.”
Western governments are beginning to explore a number of options that will allow them to hit Moscow hard. These include joint offensive cyber operations against Russia and surprise NATO-led military exercises.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže told POLITICO that a “proactive response is needed”.
Cyber offensives represent one of the most effective ways of getting even with the Kremlin.
NATO could target systems critical to Russia’s war effort, according to Filip Bryjka, a political scientist at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
One obvious target is the Alabuga economic zone in Tatarstan, where thousands of Shahed drones are being produced.
“We could attack the system and disrupt their functioning,” Bryjka told POLITICO.
