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nato is considering “pre-emptive” action against Russia After a series of hybrid attacks EuropeA senior official of the alliance has warned.
Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who serves as chairman of the NATO Military Committee, said the alliance may need to take a more “aggressive” approach to prevent Moscow from continuing its campaign of drone intrusions. cyber attacks in Europe.
a fresh financial Times Investigation NATO has been put on high alert after three ships in the Baltic Sea were accused of dragging anchor to damage energy and communications cables, with a total of 11 incidents recorded, it was revealed.
Other incidents include regular cyberattacks on several European countries and Russian drone intrusions into NATO airspace.
Mr. Dragon said foot That the coalition was “studying everything” in deciding how to respond.
“On cyber, we’re kind of reactive. Being more aggressive or being proactive rather than being reactive is something we’re thinking about,” he said.
He acknowledged that such an approach would be unusual for NATO, but it might require a new strategy. war In Ukraine it is close to the fourth year.
Mr Dragone argued that a “pre-emptive attack” could be considered a “defensive action” by NATO, despite it being “far from our normal way of thinking and behaviour”.
“Being more aggressive than our counterpart’s aggression may be an option. [The issues are] The legal framework, the judicial framework, who will do this?”
In January this year, NATO launched a mission called Operation Baltic Sentry to better patrol the region and deter a possible Russian attack. This included increasing patrol aircraft, warships and drones.
The announcement did not directly name Russia, but NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at the time that the alliance would improve monitoring of Moscow’s “shadow fleet,” which refers to ships without clear ownership that are used to carry sanctioned oil.
Mr Dragon said this was a positive step by NATO to secure the region.
“Since the beginning of Baltic Sentry, nothing has happened. So that means this deterrent is working,” he said.
However, concerns still exist about whether the operation is going far enough. A Finnish court recently dismissed a case against the crew on a shadow fleet vessel that damaged undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland because the incident occurred in international waters.
Russia said on Monday that Mr Dragun’s comments were “extremely irresponsible” and an attempt to escalate tensions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “We see this as a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to contain the Ukrainian crisis. People making such statements should be aware of the risks and possible consequences, including coalition members.”