CIA Warns Europe of Russian Attack

European governments are accelerating civil-defense preparations as intelligence agencies warn that Russia could intensify hybrid operations — or even carry out limited military attacks — against NATO countries in the coming months. Earlier this month, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Russian provocations were increasing because Russian President Vladimir Putin “needs to shift attention — seeking an escalation with Europe — away from a situation on the battlefield that is not going as he had promised.”

British Air Chief Marshal John Stringer, the NATO deputy supreme allied commander, said Putin is becoming “increasingly cavalier, dangerous, and risk accepting” as the Ukraine war drags on and that the Russian president wants to divide Western allies. The concern intensified Thursday when Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service, known as FE, released a new unclassified threat assessment. It concluded that Russia is likely to further escalate its “hybrid war against NATO and the West” in the coming months and said there is a “low, but increasing risk” that Moscow could carry out limited military attacks against a NATO country even while the Ukraine war continues. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned of potential hybrid attacks from Russia on European countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland.

The European Commission’s Preparedness Union Strategy calls for guidelines aimed at helping Europeans maintain enough essential supplies to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours during a major emergency. Brussels is also developing preparedness standards for hospitals, schools, telecommunications, and transportation while calling for larger stockpiles of critical equipment. European and NATO authorities say the threat is no longer theoretical.