Joint cyber strikes, rapid attribution teams, and surprise NATO drills move from taboo to table-stakes as Moscow escalates drone incursions, sabotage, and information warfare across the continent.
BRUSSELS | Europe is confronting a scenario that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago: retaliating directly against the Russian state.
With Moscow ramping up hybrid attacks—from drone incursions to railway sabotage—senior European officials and diplomats tell 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News that a once-taboo conversation is now taking shape inside NATO and EU capitals. The debate centers on whether the alliance should consider offensive cyber operations, coordinated attribution teams, and even “no-notice” NATO military exercises along Russia’s borders.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže summed up the emerging shift.
“The Russians are constantly testing the limits. A more proactive response is needed,” she said. “And it’s not talking that sends a signal — it’s doing.”
