NATO is considering more proactive measures in response to Russia’s escalating hybrid warfare, including cyberattacks, sabotage operations and airspace violations – steps that could extend to what officials describe as a potential “pre-emptive strike” on Russian targets.
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO’s Military Committee, told the Financial Times that the alliance is reassessing its traditionally reactive posture as Europe faces a surge in hybrid incidents linked to Russia. Recent cases include the severing of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, widespread cyber intrusions across the continent, and drone activity near allied borders.
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“We are studying everything… On cyber, we are kind of reactive,” Dragone said. “Being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about.”
He said that while offensive cyber responses would be the simplest option – given that many member states possess such capabilities – retaliation for physical sabotage or drone incursions would be more complex.
Dragone added that a “pre-emptive strike” could, under certain circumstances, be classified as a defensive action. “It is further away from our normal way of thinking and behavior,” he said.
“Being more aggressive compared with the [aggressiveness] of our counterpart could be an option. [The questions are] legal framework, jurisdictional framework, who is going to do this?”
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Several allied diplomats, particularly from eastern Europe, have urged NATO to abandon its largely reactive approach and adopt measures that impose tangible costs on Moscow. “If all we do is continue being reactive, we just invite Russia to keep trying, keep hurting us,” one Baltic diplomat told the FT.
“Hybrid warfare is asymmetric – it costs them little, and us a lot. We need to be more inventive.”
Despite these concerns, NATO officials point to successes such as Baltic Sentry, an operation launched to protect critical underwater infrastructure. The joint maritime and aerial patrols, involving ships, aircraft, and naval drones, have prevented a repeat of the cable-cutting incidents recorded in 2023 and 2024 by vessels tied to Russia’s shadow fleet, which is used to evade Western sanctions.
“From the beginning of Baltic Sentry, nothing has happened. So, this means that this deterrence is working,” Dragone said.
Last week, Emmanuel Macron announced that France is restoring voluntary military service in the face of the growing threat posed by Russia, just under three decades after conscription was abolished in the country.
France’s top general, armed forces chief of staff Fabien Mandon, sparked uproar at home last week by warning that France must be ready “to lose its children,” adding that Russia is “preparing for a confrontation by 2030 with our countries.”
At the same time, Sweden is weighing the purchase of long-range cruise and ballistic missiles as Moscow’s military threat is expected to grow over the next five years, the Swedish Armed Forces warned in a government memo.
The proposed missiles could reach targets up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) away, giving Sweden the ability to strike deep inside Russian territory.
Chief of Defense Staff Carl-Johan Edström said they would be used only if Russia attacked NATO and Article 5 on collective defense was invoked.