Putin’s hybrid war is approaching the heart of Europe: British troops are preparing for battle
фото: Reuters
The deployment of Royal Air Force units to Belgium to protect its airspace and critical infrastructure is perhaps the most obvious sign that London and its NATO allies are already in a state of hybrid warfare with Russia.
Military columnist Hamish de Bretton-Gordon writes about this in his column for The Telegraph.
He said the British military would assist the Belgian government in countering drone attacks, which are likely coordinated by the Kremlin. Although there is no official confirmation, the nature of the attacks is fully consistent with Moscow’s tactics — “gray zone,” operations below the threshold of open war, which have become typical elements of modern hybrid aggression.
The RAF Regiment specializes in airfield defense and ensuring the security of high-tech aviation. Their transfer to Europe, according to the expert, is quite logical: they have the skills to combat both “hard” threats — the physical destruction of drones and missiles — and “soft” ones — their electronic neutralization or deception using false signals.
Such tasks also involve servicemen from the Royal Artillery and other army units, trained to operate on the front lines in combat conditions.
Former head of British intelligence MI5 Eliza Manningham-Buller and representatives of MI6 have long warned that the new Cold War is no longer theoretical. It is gradually taking on real, tangible forms.
The Kremlin’s hybrid aggression against the West is sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks, and subversion, which are becoming more audacious every year.
One of the most famous manifestations of this was the attack with the nerve agent “Novichok” in Salisbury, when hundreds of civilians were at risk.
The author emphasizes that drones have become the main tool of influence in new-type wars. Russia is actively using them for attacks on the front, including the potential use of chemical agents. Such a scenario, according to the expert, could have catastrophic consequences if the West is not prepared for it.
However, the successes of Ukrainian forces have proven that it is drone strikes on strategic targets inside Russia that can hurt Putin’s regime the most. Air travel disruptions, fuel shortages, and a sense of defenselessness irritate Russians more than any statements on television.
“Hybrid warfare is not just a front, it is every home, power grid, social network. Our whole life becomes a battlefield,” emphasizes de Bretton-Gordon.
He adds that the West can fight back if it directs enough resources, coordination, and technology. Europe is gradually reviving its defense capabilities, and pooling the experience of allies could be the key to turning the tide in the confrontation with the Kremlin.
“War is no longer approaching — it is already here. The enemies are standing at our gates. And in some cases — already inside them,” the author concludes.
As a reminder, in northern Norway, the British military, together with its allies, are conducting large-scale exercises to practice scenarios of possible Russian aggression . The command center near the city of Bude is located inside a rock and is used to simulate crisis situations — from invasions to cyberattacks and drone operations.
As reported, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated that any Russian attack on the territory of a NATO member state would receive a harsh response — in particular, in the event of a strike on Brussels, “Moscow would be razed to the ground.”
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