Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone told the Financial Times about"preemptive strikes" against Russia, to adequately respond to the Kremlin's hybrid threat (drones, cyber attacks, sabotage). From Moscow, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, responded:"We believe that Giuseppe Cavo Dragone's statement on potential preemptive strikes against Russia is an extremely irresponsible step, which demonstrates the alliance's willingness to continue moving towards escalation." According to Zakharova, Cavo Dragone's words were"a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to find a way out of the Ukrainian crisis."
NATO is certainly considering being "more aggressive" in responding to cyber attacks, sabotage, and violations of Russian airspace, especially with drones. The Atlantic alliance's highest-ranking military officer, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, raised this possibility in an interview with the Financial Times, also speaking of a"preemptive strike."
"We are studying everything... On the cyber front, we are somewhat reactive. Being more aggressive or proactive rather than reactive is something we are thinking about," said Dragone, chairman of NATO's military committee. Following European complaints of hybrid attacks from Russia (such as drones or cyber attacks), some diplomats, especially from Eastern Europe, have urged NATO to respond more forcefully, rather than limiting itself to mild reactions. Raising the level of aggressiveness would be easier for cyber attacks, writes the Financial Times, but less so for sabotage or drone intrusions.
Dragone said that a “ preemptive strike ” could be considered a “defensive action,” but added: “It is further from our normal way of thinking and behaving.” The admiral continued: “Being more aggressive than our counterpart’s aggression could be an option. [The issues are] the legal framework, the jurisdictional framework, who will do it?” NATO has been successful with its Baltic Sentry mission,
under which ships, aircraft, and naval drones have patrolled the Baltic Sea, preventing a repeat of numerous cable-cutting incidents in 2023 and 2024 by vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, designed to evade Western sanctions. “Since the start of Baltic Sentry, nothing has happened. So this means that this deterrence is working,” Dragone added.According to a Baltic diplomat told the British newspaper, we need to"try to be more inventive." Because "if we continue to be reactive, we invite Russia to keep trying, to keep damaging us. Especially when hybrid warfare is asymmetric: it costs them little and us a lot." Despite the success of NATO's Operation Baltic Sentry, concerns are brewing within the Alliance: a Finnish court has shelved the investigation against the crew of the Eagle S, a vessel in the shadow fleet, which allegedly cut power cables and submarines. The reason for the court's choice? The vessel linked to the Kremlin was in international waters – reports the Financial Times – and that would be enough to avoid legal trouble with a trial. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated this to the Financial Times, admitting that it constituted"a problem."
In this scenario, according to Cavo Dragone , being more assertive"is something we're considering. So far, I don't think there's been any need. We should also take a step back and carefully analyze what the attacker is looking for. Then, we probably shouldn't be hysterical. We have our plan of action and we should trust it because it's quite solid."
According to the admiral, Russia would also benefit from a moral and regulatory asymmetry: NATO would be constrained by"many more limitations than our counterparts, for ethical, legal, and jurisdictional reasons. It's a problem. I don't want to say it's a losing position, but it's a more difficult position than our counterparts." But the crucial mission remains: deterring future aggression."How deterrence is achieved—through retaliation, through preemptive strikes—is something we need to analyze thoroughly because there could be even more pressure on this in the future," Dragone added.
