Marta Gichko10:16, 14.12.24

Rutte stressed that NATO allies need to change their approach and move to a military mindset in order to be prepared for possible aggression.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Russia has long been waging not a covert, but an open war against NATO countries.

The Secretary General made the relevant statement during a speech to security experts in Brussels. Rutte emphasized that it is necessary to change the approach and move to a military mindset in order to be prepared for possible attacks, including, for example, the use of drones in Europe, writes BILD .

According to an OSCE report, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has carried out about 150 attacks on the territory of NATO countries. These include cyberattacks on railways, hospitals, GPS systems and water supplies. The report also mentions hacking, sabotage and threats to military facilities and underwater infrastructure.

The Russians have been particularly focused on attacks on critical infrastructure. For example, in 2024, major hospitals in Romania and pharmacies in the United States were paralyzed by hacker attacks, and massive GPS signal failures were recorded in Europe. Russia is also suspected of sabotaging undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, which affected communications and data transmission.

In addition to cyberattacks, the report mentions cases of physical violence and assassination. In Italy, a plot to assassinate the defense minister was foiled, and in Germany and the United States, plans to attack executives of defense-related companies were uncovered.

Moscow is also accused of using the migration crisis to destabilize the borders of EU countries, carry out propaganda, and interfere in elections.

(C)UNIAN 2024