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Russia may escalate hybrid warfare near NATO borders, Yermak warns

• 2 min read
Russia may escalate hybrid warfare near NATO borders, Yermak warns
Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, during a joint press conference with Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 20, 2024. (Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Russia may escalate its hybrid warfare tactics beyond sabotage of European infrastructure, potentially resorting to provocations on NATO’s borders, Andriy Yermak, the head of the Presidential Office, warned in a Telegram post on Dec. 29.

Nordic countries have been on high alert due to warnings from European intelligence agencies about potential Russian sabotage of power cables, wind turbines, and gas pipelines.

On Dec. 25, the Estlink 2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia was severely damaged in an incident investigated as a possible sabotage. Finnish authorities detained the vessel Eagle S, whose anchor reportedly caused the damage, and linked the ship to Russia's shadow fleet used to evade sanctions.

Yermak expressed concern over the risks posed by Russia’s shadow fleet and unconventional threats involving North Korean or Iranian proxies.

"The appearance of North Korean troops dressed in Russian uniforms or Iranian proxies on the borders of NATO countries is quite realistic if Russia is not stopped now. The North Korean military is already fighting in Europe. Who could have thought of this before?" he said.

Yermak said that impunity for such actions could embolden further provocations. "Impunity breeds permissiveness. This is the moment that requires strong decisions and strong actions."

Earlier in 2023, Finland also investigated Russia's role in damaging an underwater gas pipeline, though Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the allegations as "complete rubbish."

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Tim Zadorozhnyy

Reporter

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. He studied International Relations and European Studies at Lazarski University and Coventry University. Tim began his journalism career in Odesa in 2022 as a reporter for a local television channel. He later spent a year and a half at the Belarusian independent media outlet NEXTA, first as a news anchor and later as a managing editor. He is fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian.

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The latest announcement comes as Kyiv experienced widespread power outages on Oct. 8 following a Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Over 3 million residents in the capital lost power in what officials described as "an attack on one of the energy facilities important for the city of Kyiv."

The railway operator initially reported that the passenger train's driver suffered a leg injury and four passengers required medical attention. The crew of the electric locomotive was unharmed.

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"The government looks forward to the smooth resolution of all pending issues between the two countries and will continue consultations with the Ukrainian side to this end," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

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