NATO chief says alliance 'ready' for Russia hybrid attack

NATO is "ready" for Russian cyberattacks and other forms of hybrid warfare, the alliance's secretary general has said, urging increased support for Ukraine in response to Moscow's actions.

"Russia is doing more and more when it comes to the cyber etc. domain, but... NATO is ready for this," Mark Rutte said.

"We have all these response options in place... when it comes to hybrids to make sure that we stay strong," the NATO chief said, urging countries to provide "more support for Ukraine" if they "really want to give a signal to the Russians on every hybrid incident, hybrid attack."

European countries have been on high alert for any Russian interference, fearing that Moscow could target Kyiv's Western backers as the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine drags on into its fifth year.

Mr Rutte's remarks came after the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) said that Russia would likely carry out more hybrid attacks against targets in the West, while assessing that an outright invasion by Moscow was "highly unlikely" but still possible.

Last week, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk also warned of "hybrid" threats from Russia - including drone and missile strikes - against Ukraine's allies.

Poland - a NATO and EU member state along the alliance's eastern flank - has accused Russia of "sabotage" on several occasions since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"There is a low but growing risk that Russia will launch a limited military attack against one or several NATO countries bordering Russia," Thomas Ahrenkiel, the head of the DDIS, told a press conference at which he presented an updated assessment of the threat from Russia.

He said that the agency still considered it "highly unlikely that Russia would see any interest in invading a NATO country, but we cannot rule it out".

In the assessment, the agency said that Russia would likely carry out more so-called "hybrid attacks" against targets in the West.

It noted that in the past such attacks had "mainly been aimed at creating fear and weakening public support for aid to Ukraine".

But they had now started to include actions meant to stop support from reaching Ukraine, such as sabotage against defence companies or railway transports carrying military equipment, the agency said.

The DDIS said it thought Russia would intensify such attacks, which could also include "destructive cyber attacks that cripple critical societal functions".

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The agency also said there was a low risk of a limited military attack even if the war in Ukraine continued, as an attempt to redirect European resources away from Ukraine.

"A limited military attack would be a desperate move on Russia's part and, like the intensified hybrid attacks, could potentially take place in the coming months," the agency said.

However, the DDIS also noted that "a build-up of forces would require several months of preparation and will be difficult to conceal."

Mr Ahrenkiel also stressed that although "Russia's increased willingness to take risks has consequences for the security situation in Denmark", notably through hybrid attacks, this does not mean that Russia is going to attack the Scandinavian country.

"We do not expect a conventional Russian military attack against Denmark," he stressed.