NATO official warns Russia’s hybrid warfare could cause major casualties

Politico writes about it. 

Russia’s hybrid warfare campaign against NATO nations is nearing a dangerous threshold, warned James Appathurai, NATO’s deputy assistant secretary general for hybrid and cyber threats.

“There is a real prospect of one of these attacks causing substantial numbers of casualties or very substantial economic damage,” Appathurai told Sky News on Sunday.

Hybrid tactics — including sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation — have surged across Europe since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A recent incident involved the alleged cutting of energy and communication cables in the Baltic Sea, which German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called “sabotage.”

“Putin is engaging in hybrid attacks, and Germany is particularly in focus,” Pistorius said in a recent interview, adding that ignoring these threats would only make them worse.

European intelligence agencies have also warned about potential Russian sabotage of critical infrastructure like power cables, gas pipelines, and wind turbines, particularly in Nordic countries.

The number of these attacks has reached a level that would have been utterly unacceptable before, Appathurai said, estimating “dozens, up to 100 for sure,” with many additional plots foiled.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, cautioned that Russia could escalate its tactics further. “The shadow fleet that sabotages cables may not be the only such threat from the Russian Federation,” Yermak wrote on Telegram.

In response, NATO is updating its hybrid warfare strategy, first written in 2015, to clarify which attacks could warrant a full-scale military response. 

• Sky News reported that Senior NATO official James Appathurai had warned that there is a credible threat of an unconventional Russian attack on the Alliance, such as sabotage or arson, which could result in significant losses.