During the NATO summit held in The Hague in late June 2025, all member states agreed that Russia represents a long-term danger to Euro-Atlantic security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This view is reflected in the summit\u2019s final statement, which identifies Russia as the sole nation that poses a shared threat to the entire Alliance\u2014on the same level as global terrorism. As a result, European nations are now prioritizing efforts to counter various hostile actions by the Russian Federation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moscow is conducting what is known as a \u201cgray war\u201d against the West\u2014a range of aggressive tactics that stop short of open military conflict. These actions include meddling in democratic systems, launching cyberattacks, carrying out hybrid campaigns against neighboring states, exerting pressure in strategically important regions, attempting to weaken NATO\u2019s cohesion, issuing threats related to NATO\u2019s military footprint, and weaponizing energy supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read more about this in the\u00a0article<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Igor Popov<\/strong>, head of United Ukraine Think Tank, expert on political and security issues for\u00a0The Gaze.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly, political expert argues that Moscow consistently works to manipulate elections and sway public opinion across Europe by backing pro-Kremlin groups and eroding confidence in democratic systems. Russian intelligence agencies and affiliated organizations employ a wide array of tactics\u2014from funding extremist parties and political candidates to orchestrating large-scale disinformation efforts through media outlets and social media platforms, as well as carrying out cyberattacks to steal and leak sensitive information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notably, ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections, authorities in the Netherlands detected Russian attempts to disrupt the vote. These included cyberattacks targeting political party websites and even transport companies, seemingly aimed at obstructing voters from reaching polling stations. The Dutch military intelligence service (MIVD) has warned that the Russian threat to Europe is not declining but intensifying. They also emphasized that even if the war against Ukraine comes to an end, Moscow will likely continue its hybrid campaigns against Western societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, Igor Popov explains that Russia\u2019s disinformation campaigns\u2014based on fake news and propaganda\u2014are designed to shape public opinion in Europe in ways that align with Moscow\u2019s interests. These efforts seek to weaken trust in institutions like NATO and the EU, create societal divisions over sensitive issues such as migration, the pandemic, or the war in Ukraine, and ultimately influence the outcomes of democratic elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russian influence operations also appear to target major international summits, using them as opportunities to promote a narrative of NATO\u2019s alleged dysfunction and disunity. To achieve this, Russia relies on state-controlled media, organized \u201ctroll factories,\u201d and increasingly, artificial intelligence to generate fake content that discredits NATO leaders and stirs tensions among member states. This kind of covert information warfare represents a serious and persistent threat, undermining the democratic foundations that European security depends on. In response, European governments are actively working to build defenses against such manipulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of Russia\u2019s most dangerous instruments remains cyberattacks, used both for espionage and sabotage. Over the past two years, Europe has faced a sharp surge in Russian cyber activity. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), confirmed Russian cyber incidents in Europe jumped from just 3 in 2022 to 12 in 2023, and then soared to 34 in 2024. These operations have targeted a broad array of sectors\u2014government bodies, critical infrastructure, transportation systems, energy providers, and defense industries\u2014using methods ranging from the stealthy deployment of spyware to direct sabotage of equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirdly, the author emphasizes that, aware it cannot match NATO\u2019s combined military strength in open conflict, Russia focuses instead on creating internal rifts and weakening allied unity. For years, the Kremlin has deliberately worked to drive wedges between Western nations through propaganda, corrupt relationships, and support for pro-Russian political figures. These efforts have intensified since the launch of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow aiming to erode Western resolve in supporting Kyiv and to make some countries question NATO\u2019s relevance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key objective of Russia\u2019s influence operations is to provoke tensions between governments, particularly within the NATO alliance. The Kremlin has long promoted Eurosceptic and anti-American sentiments across Europe. In several EU member states, far-right parties with histories of NATO skepticism and pro-Russian leanings have gained traction\u2014such as Marine Le Pen\u2019s National Rally in France and Germany\u2019s Alternative for Germany (AfD), both of which have openly cast doubt on NATO\u2019s value. Russian propaganda backs these forces through both messaging and funding. For instance, Le Pen\u2019s party received a loan in 2014 from a bank linked to Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, expert summarizes that all of these threats are part of Moscow\u2019s broader strategy to reassert control over neighboring countries and to fracture the unity that enables Europe to push back against Russian expansion. Western intelligence agencies believe that even if the war in Ukraine moves out of its active phase, Russia is unlikely to change course and will probably shift its focus toward confronting NATO as a whole. The most effective response to this threat lies in maintaining unity, strengthening societal resilience, and continually adapting defense strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n European nations are already learning from recent events and, despite the Kremlin\u2019s ongoing attempts to destabilize the region, are working together to reinforce their collective defenses. In the end, experience has shown that Russia\u2019s aggressive tactics tend to produce the opposite effect\u2014driving European allies closer together and strengthening their resolve to resist\u2014exactly the outcome Moscow hoped to prevent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full article by\u00a0Igor Popov<\/strong>\u00a0on The Gaze:<\/strong> Russian Threats to NATO and Europe in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n