NATO Tests Response to Russian Hybrid Warfare

NATO has used a fictional cyber attack on the energy grid of an imagined country, Perantsa, to test allies’ readiness for disinformation campaigns similar to those Ukraine has faced since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The exercise took place in Bydgoszcz, Poland, at the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC), according to the Financial Times.

During the three-day simulation, participants dealt with several crisis situations, including a widespread power outage, devastating floods and a hacking attack on a banking system.

Ukrainian officials, playing the role of the fictional aggressor state Karti, flooded social networks with AI-generated content questioning the government’s competence and seeking to create chaos among the population.

The project was designed to transfer Ukraine’s experience of fighting Russian hybrid warfare into a NATO setting. Ukrainian experts at JATEC share knowledge in electronic warfare, drones and information operations, while gaining access to the alliance’s technologies and systems.

Experts noted that such simulations cannot fully capture the psychological pressure and intensity of real wartime conditions. They nevertheless regard them as a useful tool for improving coordination between the military, state institutions and civilian forces.

(max)