Von der Leyen: Russia is waging a hybrid war against Europe – the EU must respond with unity and strong cyber defense

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned the European Parliament on Wednesday that the European Union is facing a coordinated campaign of hybrid attacks by Russia. Among other things, this is leading to incursions by fighter jets and drones into the airspace of member states, cyberattacks, acts of sabotage, and disinformation campaigns against European institutions and citizens.

“We must not be fooled – this concern is not incidental. This is an ongoing and escalating campaign aimed at shocking our citizens, testing our resolve, dividing the Union, and weakening our support for Ukraine. This is hybrid warfare, and we must take it very seriously,” von der Leyen said.

In the last two weeks, Russian MiG fighter jets have violated Estonian airspace, while drones have flown over critical infrastructure in Belgium, Poland, Romania, Denmark, and Germany. At the same time, European ports, airports, and logistics centers have been targeted by cyberattacks, while electoral processes in several countries have been subject to malicious influence and disinformation campaigns from Russia.

Von der Leyen emphasized that this was part of a broader Kremlin strategy to test the limits of European tolerance and destabilize the region.

“One incident may be a mistake, two coincidences, but three, five, ten—that’s a deliberate gray campaign against Europe,” she said, adding that the EU must investigate every case and publicly identify those responsible.

She noted that Russia was trying to “sow the seeds of division in Europe,” but that the response must be unity and determination. As part of the new strategy, the European Commission plans to form joint capability coalitions to develop key defense capabilities, particularly in the areas of cyber and electronic warfare.

Von der Leyen emphasized that the fight against Russia’s hybrid aggression is not only about military defense, but also about strengthening digital resilience and information security. “This includes drone software, spare parts for gas pipelines, rapid cyber teams, and awareness campaigns,” she said, adding that the European Union must develop a new security culture that also includes protection against propaganda and disinformation.

The European Commission plans to present the “Preserving Peace – Readiness Roadmap 2030” initiative in the coming weeks, which will set common goals and concrete deadlines for strengthening European cybersecurity and defense. In her view, this will be a key document for defining “new European resilience” by the end of the decade./The Geopost/