NATO warns of the risk of unconventional attacks by Russia with "significant" losses.
"We are in a situation similar to a boiling frog," said NATO spokesman James Appathurai, adding that Russia's hybrid attacks are reaching a scale that would have been unacceptable even five years ago.
There had been a particular rise in more "kinetic" acts - like cutting vital undersea cables, sabotage against buildings and the planting of incendiary devices inside aircraft cargo - since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"We can definitely count dozens, up to 100 for sure, but then there's a lot of foiled plots," Mr Appathurai, NATO's deputy assistant secretary general for innovation, hybrid and cyber, said in an interview at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.
Appathurai notes that the increase in the number of hybrid attacks is the Kremlin's response to the military support of Ukraine by Western partners.
"That part is true. So they don't like what we're doing, but they also see us as the enemy. And it's getting worse," he said.
Asked whether Russia's hybrid attack could cross the line and provoke NATO to use its collective response under Article 5, Appathurai said he was concerned that one of the attacks would "go beyond the scope and become large-scale."
"So there is a real prospect that one of these attacks will cause significant casualties or very significant economic damage," Appathurai said.
Deborah Haynes Sky News
🇺🇦@ukraine_report 🇺🇦 Liz
@TheOldGuy
The logical response to this is to deploy a large number of heavily armed NATO advisors to Ukraine,ideally with top-of-the-line air defense and cruise missiles. Place Putin in a position where further attacks on Ukraine are riskier for him.
To the inevitable objection that this escalates nuclear risk, I respond that Putin's attacks on Europe already do exactly that. Inaction merely strengthens him and weakens Europe.