Italy’s Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, has called on Western countries to take urgent measures against Russian hybrid attacks, which he described as potentially “catastrophic.” His remarks appear in a 125-page document published on Tuesday, in which he criticizes the “inertia” of European states and NATO in facing Russia’s increasingly overt aggression.
“Hybrid warfare is continuous and targets critical infrastructure, decision-making centres, essential services, and the structural foundations of every country, with daily and growing risks of catastrophic damage,” Crosetto wrote in the document titled Countering Hybrid War: An Active Strategy.
Crosetto warned that the West must react immediately. “We are under attack and hybrid bombs continue to fall. The time to act is now,” he added, as reported by Telegrafi. According to him, it is “absurd” and “unsustainable” that so little is being done in response to Russia’s actions.
He compared the situation to a potential land invasion: “If we were invaded by a ground army, we wouldn’t simply barricade ourselves in our homes and hope they go away.”
According to the Italian minister, the West is facing an “asymmetric conflict,” and although it has the capacity to respond, the slow decision-making processes of the EU and NATO mean that “the reaction remains constantly behind Russia.”
He emphasized that the frequency of hybrid attacks is increasing, while the Kremlin is using both military and non-military tools to destabilize the states it opposes. These include cyberattacks by Russian military intelligence groups, arson attacks in Poland against warehouses storing equipment for Ukraine, the instrumentalization of migrants by Belarus to create instability, unidentified drones over European airports, and accusations of Russian interference in Romania’s presidential elections.
Poland has described Sunday’s railway line explosion as “sabotage,” while two Ukrainians suspected of working for Russia were charged on Tuesday for the incident.
According to the organization Globsec, more than 110 acts of sabotage and attempted attacks were recorded in Europe from January to July—mostly in Poland and France—linked to pro-Russian actors.
Crosetto warned that the West risks allowing Russia to achieve victory “through attrition.” He stressed that Russia is targeting countries supporting Ukraine through disinformation campaigns and public-opinion manipulation. “These tools indirectly influence beliefs, societal resilience, decision-making sovereignty, and the political stability of states,” he wrote.
To counter these threats, Crosetto proposed establishing a European Centre for Countering Hybrid Warfare, creating a 1,500-member cyber force, and involving specialized personnel in artificial intelligence, supply-chain protection, and the fight against disinformation.
