Russian provocation against Europe
Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Putin's Russia has been increasingly more aggressive and bold in their actions towards the European continent.
While international attention mainly focuses on faltering US-led peace efforts to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with the latest rounds of Oil refineries destroyed by Ukrainian drones and Missiles, the Kremlin's campaign of hybrid war against Europe continues to escalate. This bold confrontation presents a very real and significant security challenge for NATO, which demands far greater coordination among European governments to be dealt with effectively.
Under Putin's reign, Russia has spent over a decade evolving its hybrid warfare recipe. The tactics being used against Europe have been refined from the start of Russia's war of conquest in early 2014. Since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin's Hybrid war against Europe has entered a new era of intensity and frequency, using all forms of aggression to probe both civilian and military infrastructure.
This shift to hybrid warfare has proven to be incredibly effective as it allows the Kremlin to destabilize Europe and sow the roots of instability and fear without raising too many flags that would hold Russia accountable and potentially provoke a military response.
Currently, Moscow stands accused of committing a variety of increasingly ambitious acts of aggression inside the European Union. In Poland, a massive fire that destroyed over 1,400 shops and service outlets in a Warsaw shopping center has been linked to Russian intelligence, prompting the closure of Russia's Krakow consulate in May 2025.
More recently, there has been an unprecedented increase in the amount of aerial intrusions into both military and civilian infrastructure across multiple European nations, causing airport closures, heightened security measures, and concern internally. Since July 2025, Russia has conducted 15 separate airspace violations against numerous European states. On 9th September 2025, one of the most notable of these encroachments took place. This intrusion consisted of 24 Drones violating Polish airspace on the same day. The result was temporary closures at Warsaw International, Warsaw Modlin, Rzeszów, and Lublin airports, causing massive disruptions locally. This bold maneuver from Russia was met with enormous backlash from multiple nations, with Poland itself invoking Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty in response to the incident.
Additionally, since then, Russia's attempts to increase its sphere of influence in the Baltic included quite an outlandish play. Russia used weather balloons carrying black-market cigarettes over Lithuania in an effort to cause chaos on the ground, this led to the shutdown of Vilnius airport. At least 14 balloons were launched from Belarus being orchestrated by Putin, resulting in the cancellation of 30 flights. These desperate attempts by Putin to intimidate smaller European nations have resulted in a fruitless operation. Lithuania has made an effort to show Putin that it won't be pushed around. Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said that the incidents were "a tool of hybrid aggression against Europe." Ruginiene made a move to cut off Russia's western enclave of Kaliningrad from the mainland in a show of power. This move took the form of the closure of all train lines and pipelines that run from Russia through Lithuania to Kaliningrad. Although this may not seem like a game-changer, it soon becomes clear just how impactful this is - considering that Kaliningrad relied on this route for 50% of its oil, coal, food, and consumer products, such as electronics and cars, it has created considerable strain. The finite resources available to the people of Kalinigrad have led to massive economic instability and hardship, as well as civil unrest against local governmnet.
Over the past 2 years, the Baltic Sea as a whole has become a focal point in Putin's hybrid offensive, with Moscow being accused of using its shadow fleet (A large group of unmarked Russian vessels used to bypass Western oil sanctions) to carry out multiple sabotage operations targeting undersea cables. In August 2025, the Finnish authorities accused and charged the captain of a tanker that is believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet with dragging an anchor along the Gulf of Finland seabed, cutting five undersea cables, and causing tens of millions of euros in damage. This blatant disregard for international law and sanctions has drawn massive attention as it highlights how Russia is willing to go against everything in an attempt to claw back some influence in the region.
The overall reaction from countries victim to Russian coordinated attacks has been hampered due to a lack of coordinated response towards the Kremlin. While NATO's Collaborative Intelligence and Security division, and the EU's East Stratcom, a task force established in 2015 to counter foreign information manipulation within the EU, play critical roles in efforts to observe potential threats and dissect potential Russian involvement, the majority of European responses and countermeasures remain fragmented. This lack of unity in the face of Russian aggression underscores the urgent need for a more cohesive and collective European response.
Looking forward, Russia's escalating hybrid war against Europe demands a far more integrated and agile response from the continent. Presumed instances of hybrid aggression shouldn't be viewed in isolation - instead, they should be treated as part of a broader Kremlin campaign. European countries must collaborate to fund and develop new security structures that can effectively identify and address Russian hybrid operations, thereby ensuring the security and safety of the continent. As grand ideas like the 'Drone wall' make headlines, Europe needs a unified leadership from all countries to ensure comprehensive protection and ensure that projects like this can be implemented both effectively and promptly. Strong, unified leadership is crucial in these challenging times.