In late 2025, Vladimir Putin held a closed meeting during which he set the Russian intelligence services and military the task for 2026 – to “destroy NATO and the EU from within.” One of the Kremlin’s main tools should be to destabilize Western countries and test the Alliance’s unity.

As Censor.NET reports, The New York Times writes about this, citing officials from the two countries familiar with the content of the meeting.

Russia may try to test NATO unity

According to the publication, the closed meeting took place in December 2025. It was then that Putin allegedly set the Russian military and special services the task of undermining NATO and the European Union from within.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal, citing American intelligence assessments, reported that Russia may try to split NATO by testing the allies’ willingness to fulfill mutual defense obligations.

Possible scenarios included a cyberattack, an operation involving unidentified armed groups, or a limited invasion of one of NATO’s eastern flank countries.

The purpose of such an operation, according to Western intelligence estimates, may be not only to cause direct damage, but also to provoke a political crisis within the Alliance regarding how to respond to Moscow’s actions.

After Ukraine, one of the Kremlin’s top priorities is Moldova

According to the NYT, Moldova holds a special place in Russia’s plans. Representatives of Western intelligence agencies told the publication that the seizure of Ukraine remains the Kremlin’s top foreign policy goal, with the next goal being to establish control over Moldova.

According to their data, Putin still hopes to seize southern Ukraine in order to create a land corridor towards Moldova.

Western intelligence agencies consider Moldova strategically important to Russia because of its location between Ukraine and NATO and EU member Romania. If Russia were to gain control of Moldova, it could use its territory as a springboard for further pressure on Ukraine and the West.

Russia is stepping up hybrid operations against Europe

Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer stated that hybrid attacks on NATO countries, especially on the eastern flank, occur virtually every day.

According to him, Moscow is increasingly conducting operations in the “gray zone” aimed at destabilizing European governments and institutions, and is also using drones to find weaknesses in security systems.

Against this background, Poland and the Baltic countries are strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure, including dams, gas pipelines, and power plants.

Reuters previously reported, citing a Baltic intelligence official, that the Russian military and intelligence services were considering a provocation using Ukrainian-made drones. According to the agency’s source, permission for such an operation would have to be granted by the Russian top leadership, including Putin. Джерело: https://censor.net/ua/n4018409

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