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Russia Is Testing NATO Through Covert War. Romania Warns More Hybrid Attacks Are Coming
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Romania expects the number and intensity of Russian hybrid attacks against NATO to increase, especially in allied airspace, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu said ahead of a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg, according to Ukrinform on May 22.
Țoiu said Romania and other NATO allies are working on proposals to strengthen the Alliance’s coordinated response to hybrid threats, including those posed by Russia across land, sea, air, and more complex operational environments.
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“Throughout the year, and also in today’s discussion, Romania is paying attention to how we will respond together within NATO to hybrid threats. We are talking about hybrid threats that are mostly created by Russia—on land, at sea, in the air, or in other, more complex environments,” she said.
According to the minister, Romania has spent the past month working with more than 10 NATO allies on proposals for a stronger and more coordinated response to hybrid attacks.
“In October, we will host the Hybrid Symposium in Bucharest, where experts from allied countries will gather to focus on a joint response,” Țoiu said.
She warned that Russia’s hybrid activity is expected to grow.
“We assess that the number and intensity of hybrid threats, especially from Russia, will increase in allied airspace in the future,” she said.
Țoiu also welcomed US support in helping Romania strengthen its defense capabilities, noting that Romania has “the longest border with the war in Ukraine,” stretching more than 650 kilometers.
She said Romania’s decision to allow the United States to use Romanian air bases for defense capabilities and logistics support shows that NATO allies are security providers for one another, rather than relying on others one-sidedly.
“There is a constant need for a US presence on European territory,” she emphasized.
The latest cases of Russian covert attacks on Europe involved the use of rerouted Ukrainian drones, which they sent to Baltic nations.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha said that “The investigations proved that this was the result of Russian electronic warfare deliberately diverting Ukrainian drones from their targets in Russia.”
Earlier, the Russian State Duma unanimously passed legislation significantly expanding Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s authority to deploy the armed forces abroad.
Amending existing federal laws on citizenship and defense, the new measure allows Putin to use the military to “protect” Russian nationals facing arrest, detention, or criminal prosecution in foreign countries.
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