PNN – The Deputy Assistant Secretary General of the NATO military alliance warned that Russia’s combined (hybrid) attacks can put the members of this alliance in a very difficult situation and cause significant casualties.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network from Sky news channel, James Appatorai announced this news and said that an unconventional attack such as a sabotage act or a deliberate fire by Russia can put the allies in a very difficult situation.
Therefore, he added: Allies should be more transparent between themselves and Moscow about the level of hostilities in the gray zone, which can cause the allies to react, including the use of military force.
Aparato explained: The 32 member countries of the NATO military alliance are currently in a situation where they are unable to act against the challenges posed by Russia’s suspected combined attacks, and these attacks across Europe, the United States and Canada have escalated to a level that would have been completely unacceptable five years ago.
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Sky News adds: This NATO official seems to be referring to Russia’s subversive actions since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022; including cutting submarine cables, vandalizing buildings and using incendiary devices in airplanes.
This NATO official further pointed to the number of what he called Russia’s subversive actions and said that up to 100 such cases can be named, most of which have been neutralized.
In response to the question whether he is worried that Russia’s combined attacks will force NATO to use “Article 5”, in which an attack on one member state is considered an attack on the entire alliance and thus go to war with Russia said: What really worries me is if one of these attacks happens on a large scale.
The official then referred to Russia’s 2018 attempt to kill former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, using a chemical weapon that was enough to kill thousands of people.
He then concluded: Therefore, there is a real prospect that one of these attacks will cause a significant number of casualties or many economic losses.
Apaturai’s team is said to be updating NATO’s strategy for understanding, deterring and countering hybrid warfare, which was last drafted in 2015. This strategy includes redesigning efforts to counter the combined attacks of Russia and other belligerent actors, including China, Iran, and North Korea, in order to create a better understanding of the scale and scope of the challenge.