NATO considers more aggressive response to Russian hybrid attacks
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, head of NATO's military commission, told the Financial Times that the alliance is considering a more aggressive approach to Russian cyberattacks, sabotage and airspace violations. "Being more aggressive or proactive instead of reactive - that's something we are thinking about," he said.
Europe has faced waves of hybrid military incidents - from cable-cutting in the Baltic Sea to cyberattacks - often attributed to Russia or of unclear origin. Some diplomats, particularly from Eastern European countries, are calling on NATO to stop being passive and start defending itself.
Cavo Dragone acknowledged that a "preemptive attack" could be considered a "defensive action," but he also admitted that this is "far from the usual thinking and behavior" of the alliance.
He noted that NATO has had some success in deterrence. As an example, he cited NATO's Baltic Sentry mission, which deploys allied ships, aircraft and maritime drones to monitor critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.