World

Russia's ever-escalating hybrid war has the EU in its crosshairs

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2024

Russia's ever-escalating hybrid war has the EU in its crosshairs

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.

When looking at these hostile actions individually, they might not constitute more than a nuisance on their own. Yet, collectively, these actions form a comprehensive hybrid warfare package where the boundaries are repeatedly pushed, Alexander Borum writes.

Despite an unfolding war and a continued cost-of-living crisis, life for the average European citizen is both peaceful and comfortable.

This is attested by the recently published Global Peace Index 2024, which shows that the list of the top 10 most peaceful countries remains dominated by European entries.

But scratch beneath the surface and a more sinister reality appears: a Europe engaged in a protracted and fierce hybrid war that demands our attention.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Western world has committed an unprecedented level of military and economic support to stem the tide of unbarred violence against the country.

While this support has been a crucial part of ensuring Ukrainian independence, it has also escalated Russia’s ongoing hybrid war against the West to new heights, notably targeting the European Union.

The Kremlin is not letting up

While Russia is the most prominent assailant, it does not stand alone in its anti-western efforts. It has diligently balanced its interests against those of the West, enlisting partners such as Belarus, Iran and North Korea.

By housing Russian nuclear weapons and troops and by arming and resupplying the Russian armed forces, these countries exacerbate Russian aggression. However, China remains a crucial part of the puzzle.

Its role was emphasised during the recent NATO Summit in Washington as a decisive enabler of Russian aggression in Ukraine and an active participant in the hybrid war against the transatlantic partners.

While not standing alone, Russia remains a uniquely aggressive actor, engaging in a multifaceted war against the West from the relative safety of the shadows.

After the conclusion of the recent European Parliament elections, consultancy firms identified tens of thousands of accounts spreading disinformation even as EU citizens sought to cast their ballots in an election that saw the steep rise of populist parties with pro-Vladimir Putin positions.

Beyond the elections, fake narratives such as Bugatti-gate have emerged. This one spins the story of Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, purchasing a luxury car for €4.5m during a time of particular duress for Ukraine.

Naturally, the false story, created using deep fake techniques, fake media outlets and falsified information, was quickly debunked — but not before knee-jerk reactions shaped political discourse across Europe, at least momentarily.

Subversions go up in scale

However, where disinformation might cause disruption and instability, more sinister efforts are at play, and webs of infiltrators and intelligence operators are increasingly unravelling within the European Union.

From prominent academics in the Baltics to expat florists in Slovenia with direct links to Russian intelligence services, the situation is looking increasingly grim.

Financial entities such as Pravfond enable Russian intelligence services to fund disruptive and destabilising efforts within Europe.

Pravfond expands the scope and scale of Russia’s political warfare against Europe, with funding benefiting anti-democratic movements, political entities with pro-Russia, isolationist or protest-oriented stances, the recruitment of European assets, as well as large-scale intelligence and influence operations across continental Europe.

Alongside disruption from within, Russia and its close ally Belarus also seek to apply pressure on Europe’s external borders.

By instrumentalising migration and providing guidance, routes and supplies to migrants, Russia and Belarus have adopted a ruthless method of hybrid warfare.

By exploiting desperate people and hurling them against European borders, they fan not only the need for robust border management responses but also the flames of anti-migratory rhetoric, often stemming from political parties with attitudes conducive to Russian interests.

From assassination to sabotage, anything goes

When looking at these hostile actions individually, they might not constitute more than a nuisance on their own.

Yet, collectively, these actions form a comprehensive hybrid warfare package where the boundaries are repeatedly pushed. In recent months, Russia has made the Baltic Sea a frontline for escalating its hybrid war against the West, targeting EU member states in the region with calculated manoeuvres to provoke them.

A key tool here has been reigniting border disputes in the Gulf of Finland, along the Narva River with Estonia, and in the sea surrounding the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad by unilaterally redrawing borders that directly violate international law.

At the forefront of Russia’s escalating hybrid war against Europe has been a string of special operations conducted within the Schengen borders.

Several assassinations of political dissidents inside of Europe have occurred over the last decades of Putin’s rule in Russia, but the recent attempt on the life of Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, has opened a new frontier in attempts to subdue support for Ukraine.

Acts of sabotage have shaken Europe in recent years. As European intelligence services continue to outline an increase in Russia’s probing efforts into defence industries, sea cables and crucial infrastructure, the future will likely bring further attempts to disrupt supply lines to Ukraine through sabotage.

Above us and at sea, European air traffic and shipping are increasingly targeted by attempts to jam the GPS systems relied on for safe navigation.

An ultimate consequence of such disruption might be catastrophic incidents causing irreparable damage to the environment or significant losses of civilian lives — a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation.

Keep an eye on Ukraine

With such significant pressure on Europe, it was perhaps no surprise when the Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen noted in February that Russia would likely be in a position to test Article 5 and NATO solidarity within a three- to five-year time span.

This statement echoed the one by Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who in January remarked that NATO should expect an attack on a member state within five to eight years, emphasising the need for unity and solidarity between partners.

With further escalations looming, one might be tempted to look towards NATO for solace.

Yet, with the recent assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump and the poor performance of President Joe Biden in his bid for re-election, NATO will likely face a stark new reality if Trump takes office in November.

With the US pursuing an increasingly isolationist policy under Trump, a pivot to the east and a track record of statements sowing distrust in the alliance’s unity, there is an increasing sense of urgency for Europe to take ownership of its security needs.

It’s crucial for Europe to do what it takes to keep Ukraine in fighting shape should the US falter, as any other path would invite disaster.

Alexander Borum is Policy Leader Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, focusing on the European Union Common Security and Defence Policy.

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World

A look at some of the contenders to be Iran’s supreme leader after the killing of Khamenei

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

A look at some of the contenders to be Iran’s supreme leader after the killing of Khamenei

Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years before he was killed in the surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment.

It’s only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen. Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.

The supreme leader has the final say on all major decisions, including war, peace and the country’s disputed nuclear program.

In the meantime, a provisional governing council composed of President Masoud Pezeshkian, hard-line judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and senior Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi is guiding the country through its biggest crisis in decades. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a new supreme leader would be chosen early this week.

The supreme leader is appointed by an 88-member panel called the Assembly of Experts, who by law are supposed to quickly name a successor. The panel consists of Shiite clerics who are popularly elected after their candidacies are approved by the Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog.

Khamenei had major influence over both clerical bodies, making it unlikely the next leader will mark a radical departure.

Here are the top contenders.

Mojtaba Khamenei

The son of Khamenei, a mid-level Shiite cleric, is widely considered a potential successor. He has strong ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard but has never held office. His selection could prove awkward, as the Islamic Republic has long criticized hereditary rule and cast itself as a more just alternative.

Ayatollah Ali Reza Arafi

Arafi is a member of the provisional government council. The senior Shiite cleric was handpicked by Khamenei to be a member of the Guardian Council in 2019, and three years later he was elected to the Assembly of Experts. He leads a network of seminaries.

Hassan Rouhani

Rouhani, a relative moderate, was president of Iran from 2013 to 2021 and reached the landmark nuclear agreement with the Obama administration that U.S. President Donald Trump scrapped during his first term. Rouhani served on the Assembly of Experts until 2024, when he said he was disqualified from running for reelection. Rouhani criticized it as an infringement on Iranians’ political participation.

Hassan Khomeini

Khomeini is the most prominent grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He is also seen as a relative moderate, but has never held government office. He currently works at his grandfather’s mausoleum in Tehran.

Ayatollah Mohammed Mehdi Mirbagheri

Mirbagheri is a senior cleric popular with hard-liners who serves on the Assembly of Experts.

He was close to the late Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a fellow hard-liner who wrote that Iran should not deprive itself of the right to produce “special weapons,” a veiled reference to nuclear arms.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mirbagheri denounced the closure of schools as a “conspiracy.”

He is currently the head of the Islamic Cultural Center in Qom, the main center for Islamic teaching in Iran.

World

US cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iranian missile capabilities

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

US cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iranian missile capabilities

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The U.S. has been cleared to use British bases for limited strikes on Iran’s missile capabilities after Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed off on the plan, and while U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey stated on Sunday Britain had “stepped up alongside the Americans.”

“The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source, in their storage depots or the launchers which are used to fire the missiles,” Starmer confirmed in a recorded statement to the nation.

“The U.S. has requested permission to use British bases for that specific and limited defensive purpose,” he said. “We have taken the decision to accept this request.”

The decision came amid escalation across the Middle East in the wake of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed off on a plan to use British bases for limited strikes on Iranian missile capabilities. (Kin Cheung / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

On Feb. 28, in the wake of Operation Epic Fury, Starmer confirmed British planes “are in the sky today” across the Middle East “as part of coordinated regional defensive operations to protect our people, our interests and our allies.”

Healey went on to disclose Sunday that two Iranian missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, where Britain maintains key sovereign base areas.

The Royal Air Force confirmed that Typhoon jets operating from Qatar as part of the joint U.K.-Qatar Typhoon Squadron successfully intercepted an Iranian drone heading toward Qatar.

About 300 British personnel are stationed at a naval facility in Bahrain, where Iranian missiles and drones struck nearby areas.

“We’re taking down the drones that are menacing either our bases, our people or our allies,” Healey told “Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips” on Sky. “We’ve stepped up alongside the Americans. We’ve stepped up our defensive forces in the Middle East. We’re flying those sorties.”

ISRAEL’S LARGEST EVER MILITARY FLYOVER HAMMERS IRANIAN MILITARY TARGETS

British Defense Secretary John Healey stressed that the U.K. had “no part” in the American-Israeli strikes on Iran. (Peter Nicholls/Pool via Reuters)

Healey also made sure to stress that the U.K. had “no part” in the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and insisted all British actions were defensive. “All our actions are about defending U.K. interests and defending U.K. allies,” he said.

When asked if the U.K. would join the U.S. in offensive action, Healey said, “I’m not going to speculate,” according to Sky News.

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Downing Street also confirmed Feb. 28 that Starmer and President Donald Trump had spoken by phone about the “situation in the Middle East,” the BBC reported.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Downing Street for comment.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

World

Pakistan calls troops, orders 3-day curfew as 24 killed in pro-Iran rallies

Published

8 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Pakistan calls troops, orders 3-day curfew as 24 killed in pro-Iran rallies

Army deployed and some areas in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region put under curfew after deadly violence over Khamenei’s killing.

By AFP, Anadolu and The Associated Press

Published On 2 Mar 2026

Pakistan has called in the military and imposed a three-day curfew in some areas following deadly protests over the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint United States-Israeli attack on Saturday.

At least 24 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between protesters and security forces across the country on Sunday, prompting authorities to tighten security around the US embassy and consulates.