Italy Believes Europe’s Response to Russian Hybrid Attacks Is Not Sufficient

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto claims Europe and NATO are failing to respond appropriately to increasingly brazen Russian-backed hybrid operations, and he proposes the establishment of a separate center to combat hybrid threats.

According to Politico, his statements appear in a 125-page analysis paper titled “Countering Hybrid Warfare: The Russian Strategy.”

Crosetto lambasted Europe and NATO’s “inertia” in the face of more dangerous hybrid attacks, saying it was time to modify the strategy.

He found it absurd that Western countries are responding so little to Russian hybrid assaults against them and emphasized that if someone were truly invaded by a foreign force, “we would not barricade ourselves in the hope that they would just go away.”

The minister writes that the West has found itself in an asymmetric conflict situation in which it has the tools to respond, but due to the difficulties of democratic processes and the shortcomings of the unanimous decision-making principle in the EU and NATO, it is constantly lagging behind Russia’s actions in response.

Crosetto emphasizes that the frequency of hybrid operations with a Russian footprint is increasing, as the Kremlin employs a combination of military and non-military means to destabilize countries it considers rivals and manipulates public opinion.

Crosetto also mentioned potential concerns from China, Iran, and North Korea.

To oppose Russian hybrid warfare, the Italian minister recommends establishing a European Center for Countering Hybrid Warfare, which will include approximately 1,500 military troops, experts in cybersecurity, disinformation, artificial intelligence, logistical protection, and so on.

As reported, the European Commission intends to establish an intelligence unit “to strengthen capabilities.” At the same time, there is no consensus among top EC officials on this initiative.