EU condemns Russia's 'persistent hybrid attacks' on member states, partners

BRUSSELS

The EU on Friday strongly condemned what it called Russia's "persistent and coordinated hybrid campaigns" targeting the EU, its member states, and partner countries.

In a statement, the EU foreign policy chief denounced "deliberate and systematic malicious activities" attributed to Russian state actors, particularly the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU), Russia's military intelligence agency.

"These form part of broader, coordinated, and long-standing hybrid campaigns aimed at threatening and undermining the security, resilience and democratic foundations of the EU, its Member States and its partners," the statement said.

Expressing solidarity with the UK, which recently announced new restrictive measures targeting the GRU, "in response to operations led by the GRU and continues to denounce the tangible threat Russia poses to the security of the UK and its partners, including the EU."

According to the EU, hybrid campaigns linked to Russia go beyond cyberattacks and include sabotage, disruption of critical infrastructure, physical attacks, information manipulation, and interference.

It cited cyberattacks attributed to "Russia-controlled actor" APT28, including those targeting democratic institutions in Germany and the Czech Republic in 2024, as well as cyber operations in France this year aimed at electoral processes, media, and critical public and private entities.

"This clearly illustrates continuity of malicious intent and represents a blatant disregard for international law and the United Nations framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace," the bloc said.

The statement reaffirmed the EU's support for Ukraine and its commitment to exposing and countering Russian hybrid threats, particularly in its immediate neighborhood, including Moldova.

"We will continue to strengthen our resilience, deepen cooperation with international partners, in particular with NATO in full respect of the agreed principles and make full use of all available means to prevent, deter, and respond effectively to Russia’s hybrid activities," it added.