NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance is intensifying intelligence sharing in response to a series of sabotage acts and other incidents that allies assess as linked to Russia. At the same time, he urged the alliance to remain “calm and confident” in its ability to counter any threat from Moscow.
Grynkewich’s comments came in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, September 24, against the backdrop of a new warning from Denmark’s military intelligence service. According to that assessment, Russia is likely in the coming months to intensify its hybrid campaign against the West — sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and other activity below the threshold of open warfare. The service also pointed to a “low but growing risk” of a limited military attack against one or more NATO countries bordering Russia.
Grynkewich described recent incidents as concerning. Among them were an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany and a Russian ship firing signal flares toward a Danish military helicopter. “It’s concerning. But we should be calm and confident that we as an alliance — the most powerful alliance in history — have the tools and the mechanisms we need to manage this risk,” he said.
According to the commander, a limited Russian attack on NATO territory is unlikely, but cannot be ruled out entirely. Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in hybrid operations and sabotage on alliance territory.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte separately stressed that the alliance has response plans for sabotage and drone incidents: “All the response options are there, and we will use whatever we need.” European ministers on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly also spoke of an increase in Russian sabotage, cyberattacks and airspace violations, while seeing no signs of an imminent direct attack on NATO.
In recent weeks allies have recorded a range of episodes: a foiled operation against undersea cables near Svalbard, arrests in cases of espionage and sabotage planning in Romania and the United Kingdom, and fires at defense-industry facilities. Western intelligence services link some of these cases to Russian intelligence, though attribution often remains difficult, and the Kremlin denies responsibility.
NATO is focusing on closer data sharing among member states’ intelligence services and military structures, stronger protection of critical infrastructure, and greater societal resilience. Grynkewich emphasized that the alliance must act in a collected way, without panic, relying on its existing deterrence capabilities.
