Russian Spy Operations Target NATO, Warns Secretary General Rutte
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Russia is actively conducting espionage and cyberattacks against Alliance member states in an attempt to undermine their security and support for Ukraine.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Deutsche Welle.
Rutte stressed that although Russia is not as strong as it tries to appear, its actions remain extremely dangerous. Among the threats are cyberattacks, espionage operations, sabotage of critical infrastructure, and subversive actions against public places.
He paid particular attention to cases where Russian military intelligence used sophisticated spyware, as well as attacks with suspicious devices spread across Europe.
“That is why it is extremely important that we are prepared. Russia is waging a covert campaign against our societies and trying to undermine our support for Ukraine,” Rutte said.
According to the Secretary General, these threats are forcing NATO to strengthen critical infrastructure protection, network security, and civil preparedness. Rutte stressed that the new generation of Russian missiles, drones, and underwater sabotage pose risks to all allies, both in the East and in the West.
“The risks to our security have already reached their limits. And given these challenges to our security, we see once again why it is so important that we work together in NATO,” he stressed.
NATO's response was the Eastern Sentry program, which calls for increasing forces in the air, on land, and at sea, as well as integrating innovative technologies and tactics to combat new challenges, including unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Secretary General also said that Russia had lost more than a million people killed and wounded in the war against Ukraine, while warning against overestimating its capabilities and underestimating potential threats. He recalled that approximately 40% of the Russian Federation's budget is allocated to the military economy.
In addition, Rutte commented on the incident with the Russian submarine Novorossiysk, which surfaced off the coast of France. He joked that Russia's naval presence in the Mediterranean has almost disappeared and that the Russian Federation's submarine operations no longer resemble a military mission.
“Today, it's more like hunting for the nearest mechanic,” Rutte said.
As The Gaze previously informed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held talks in New York during the UN General Assembly, focusing on the expansion of the PURL defense initiative, a program designed to channel allied funding into U.S. weapons purchases for Ukraine.