Protecting Europe’s critical infrastructure from Russian hybrid threats
- Hybrid tactics are used to destabilise targets by circumventing the methods of standard warfare and instead exploiting political, economic and social vulnerabilities, alongside military ones. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, European policy-makers have become increasingly concerned about Moscow’s use of hybrid attacks and the threat these pose to critical infrastructure.
- Suspicious incidents, such as the disruption of railways in Germany, the sabotage of communication cables in France and GPS disturbances in Finland have all increased worries about the dangers posed by Russia’s hybrid attacks.
- Reports of Russian surveillance of energy infrastructure in Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium have further added to these concerns. With Europe shifting away from Russian energy imports, Norway has emerged as the EU’s main gas supplier. Any disruption to its energy production would thus be a significant threat to Europe’s energy security since it would be nearly impossible for the EU to find a replacement for Norwegian energy.
- European countries have taken action to improve the resilience of national critical infrastructure. Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands have boosted security around vital energy infrastructure; France, Italy and the UK have invested in the protection of underwater infrastructure; and Czechia has published a national strategy specifically dedicated to countering hybrid threats.
- While safeguarding critical infrastructure is primarily a national responsibility, the EU and NATO have stepped up efforts to counter hybrid threats and protect critical infrastructure. The EU and NATO can further increase co-operation in this area through more extensive intelligence sharing and the intensification of joint training and exercises, to better counter hybrid threats.
- The EU should look to the Finnish and Swedish ‘whole-of-society’ approaches to increase resilience against hybrid threats. Countering hybrid threats requires greater collaboration at all levels, including the EU, NATO, national and local governments, and civil society.
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