NATO members are reportedly mulling offensive cyber actions against Moscow under the pretext of battling a supposed “Russian threat”
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has opened a new hybrid warfare center amid the broader militarization of the country over a supposed “Russian threat.” Previous media reports have, however, suggested that Berlin and other NATO member states are plotting offensive cyber operations against Moscow.
The military bloc’s members have routinely accused Russia of hacking government servers, jamming aircraft GPS signals, and redirecting Ukrainian drones into their airspace, with little to no evidence. Moscow has dismissed the allegations as warmongering designed to justify the “rabid militarization” of Europe.
Speaking at the opening ceremony for the center in Berlin on Tuesday, Dobrindt claimed that “Germany is not at war, but we are a daily target of hybrid warfare.”
“Foreign powers are attacking us with espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns,” the minister said, adding that supposed malicious actors are seeking to “sow uncertainty among the population, to poison democratic discourse, to promote polarization.”
Dobrindt said Germany is not merely “waiting for something to happen,” with the center set to be involved from day one in what he described as “active cyber defense.”
The minister also announced an imminent cabinet decision to grant greater powers to the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), with the aim of turning them into true “intelligence agencies.”
Meanwhile, Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel has criticized the creation of the new center, pointing out that Germany already has the National Cyber Defense Center (NCAZ), the Joint Drone Defense Center (GDAZ), and the Joint Extremism and Terrorism Defense Center (GETZ). He predicted that the existence of various entities with overlapping tasks could lead to friction and inefficiencies.
The Bundeswehr now considers hybrid measures such as cyberattacks and so-called disinformation campaigns to be preparatory stages leading up to a military conflict, Politico reported last year, citing the classified Operational Plan for Germany (OPLAN).
The European Union as a whole also needs to develop offensive cyber capabilities, European Commission Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy Henna Virkkunen said in February.
“It’s not enough that we are just defending… We also have to have offensive capacity,” she said at the time.
In late 2024, the US-led military bloc unveiled plans to establish a new integrated cyber defense center at its headquarters in Belgium, which is expected to become operational by 2028. Last November, Politico reported that NATO’s European members were considering conducting offensive cyber operations against Russia.
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