It is “absurd” and “unsustainable” that the West is doing so little to react to Russian attacks, Crosetto wrote. If we were invaded by a land army we “would not simply barricade ourselves at home hoping they would go away.”
The West is engaged in an “asymmetric conflict,” he wrote, it has the tools to respond but, shackled by its own democratic processes and the slow and consensus-driven decision-making of the EU and NATO, its actions are “constantly lagging” behind Russia’s.
Other countries that pose a threat include China, Iran and North Korea, he wrote.
The frequency of hybrid attacks its rising, as Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin uses the “integrated use of military and non-military tools to destabilize its competitors, erode their internal cohesion and influence their political will.”
Attacks include: accusations that a notorious Russian military intelligence hacking group targeted defense, transport and tech firms involved in helping Ukraine; arson attacks on depots containing equipment destined for Ukraine in Poland; Russian ally Belarus weaponizing migrants to destabilize Poland; drones of unknown origin buzzing airports across the continent; and Moscow being accused of undermining the presidential election in Romania.
Poland called a Sunday rail line explosion “sabotage” and on Tuesday blamed two Ukrainians working for Russia.