Russia may step up hybrid war against NATO in coming months, Denmark warns; Putin denies the claim Today’s news
Russia is likely to step up its hybrid campaign against Western countries and NATO in the coming months, Denmark’s defense intelligence agency said in a new threat assessment, warning of a “low but growing risk” of a limited Russian military attack on one or more NATO countries neighboring Russia.
The assessment, published on Thursday (Sept 24), according to Reuters, said Moscow could carry out more frequent attacks against the West, which could have greater consequences for target countries than in the past. However, the Danish service did not judge a full Russian invasion of the NATO country as likely.
The warning came as European countries expressed concerns about alleged Russian-linked sabotage, cyber attacks and other forms of hybrid activity amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Danish intelligence warns of possible NATO attacks
DDIS said Russia could potentially use a range of tactics in the coming months, including isolated drone or missile strikes against infrastructure supporting Ukraine.
According to intelligence chief Thomas Ahrenkiel, Moscow could also potentially stage a false flag operation using Ukrainian-made drones or deploy a limited number of troops to NATO’s border area, possibly under the pretext of protecting Russian minorities.
“The goal is not to take over the country, but to divide NATO,” Ahrenkiel said, according to Reuters.
The assessment described the limited military strike as a potentially “desperate move” by Russia and said the risk remained low but growing.
Cyber attacks and sabotage were also flagged
The Danish warning goes beyond conventional military action. The Danish Resilience Agency separately said Russia was likely to attempt destructive cyber attacks against Denmark and raised the threat level.
Wider concerns about hybrid warfare have intensified following a series of incidents across Europe. Germany recently accused Russia of involvement in an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport, while NATO has also increased intelligence sharing in response to a series of incidents apparently linked to Moscow.
DDIS also pointed to the recent incident involving a Russian frigate and a Danish military helicopter in international waters off Denmark. The Danish military said the Russian vessel fired two flares towards the helicopter, with one narrowly missing the aircraft.
Russia rejects the Danish assessment
Moscow has repeatedly denied participation in sabotage or hybrid warfare operations in NATO countries.
The Russian embassy in Denmark rejected the latest Danish assessment, calling it unsupported by credible evidence and blaming Western countries for rising tensions over Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected suggestions that Moscow is preparing for conflict with Europe.
“We are not preparing for any kind of hostility with Europe,” Putin told reporters in St. Petersburg, according to AFP. He said Russia had “no real motive” to escalate tensions and criticized European countries for having to prepare for a possible war with Russia.
Putin’s remarks came a day after a warning from Danish intelligence and amid growing concern among several European NATO members about possible Russian provocations or attacks.
