NATO Steps Up Intelligence-Sharing Over Russian Sabotage Threat

NATO allies are increasing their intelligence-sharing as suspected Russian sabotage spreads across Europe. Speaking during a telephone interview with Reuters on Thursday, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Alexus Grynkewich urged partners to stay calm about the threat from Moscow, saying that the alliance has the tools it needs to manage the risk.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “It’s concerning,” Grynkewich said about the recent incidents, while also describing NATO as “the most powerful alliance in history.” Meanwhile, the Kremlin continues rejecting claims about it conducting hybrid operations on NATO territory, while also denying seeking a confrontation with the alliance. Denmark warns of escalation The general’s remarks followed the latest assessment from Denmark’s defense intelligence service, which expects Moscow to step up its hybrid attacks, including sabotage, cyberattacks and a limited ground incursion, against Ukraine’s Western partners in the upcoming months. According to Reuters, Danish intelligence also saw a low but growing risk of Russia launching a limited military strike on one or more NATO members, particularly the Baltic states. Other European leaders frequently raise similar alarms. Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that intelligence assessments indicate Russia is planning to strike countries supporting Kyiv, including Poland. In recent months, Russian drone incursions and other hybrid attacks have nearly doubled. Several member states now view them as direct attacks rather than isolated incidents. Other Topics of Interest Russia Solved the Censorship Problem When a channel’s audience is still there but YouTube suddenly stops sending new viewers, the real question is what changed inside the recommendation system. On Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow could target another EU country with drones, missiles or ground forces in an effort to divide the West and suppress backing for Kyiv. During the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski confronted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while also echoing Tusk’s warning that the danger was spreading beyond Ukraine, pointing to strikes near NATO borders and airspace violations. “Russia is now bringing the same tactics into Europe,” he said. Grynkewich: ‘Not on my watch’ Although a limited Russian attack on NATO territory is unlikely, it is something that cannot be ruled out completely, Grynkewich told Reuters. “If we proceed from the phase we’re in and we start to see emerging threats, I’m confident that I have the authorities now that I need in order to take actions to deter any aggression against the alliance,” he said. During the telephone call, the general was on his way to a change-of-command ceremony held at NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, where a command was scheduled to pass from a US Navy vice admiral to a British army general. According to Reuters, the move is a part of a wider reorganization driven by US President Donald Trump’s push for the EU to take greater charge of its own defense. An EU officer is also set to lead NATO’s Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy. The Norfolk command oversees operations in the Arctic and northern Europe and safeguards the supply lines connecting North America and Europe. Grynkewich said Washington would keep offering “critical but more limited capabilities” as the EU assumes a bigger share of the burden. Washington has led NATO since 1949. As of recently, Trump consistently threatens to pull the US out of NATO, arguing that the EU has relied on American protection without providing anything in return. A string of incidents Among the incidents that particularly worried him, Grynkewich cited a failed drone attack on Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport and a Russian vessel firing flares in the direction of a Danish military helicopter – which Moscow portrayed as the prevention of a Danish “provocation.” On Sept. 16, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awarded the unnamed commander of the Baltic Fleet corvette Soobrazitelny with the medal “For Combat Distinction.” A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter from the Kaliningrad region crossed into Polish airspace for about 42 seconds on Wednesday. On Thursday, a Russian strike drone flew into Romania from Ukrainian airspace and came down in a forest in Suceava County. NATO fighter jets were unable to intercept it, marking the second day in a row that Russian aircraft entered alliance airspace unchallenged. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.