The European Parliament adopted, on 16 September, a report on hybrid warfare and boosting the defense of the EU’s territorial integrity and critical infrastructure against threats from Russia. The report’s author Rasa Juknevičienė spoke to Ukrinform about this.
The document proposes creating a coordinated response mechanism similar to Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, as well as founding an institution to keep a “Black Book of Hybrid Aggression by Russia”.
“We need a mechanism similar to Article 4 of the NATO Treaty so that we can coordinate our response. We need an institution that would keep a ‘Black Book of Hybrid Aggression by Russia’ and document all the incidents happening at once,” the MEP stressed.
READ MORE:
- Sweden says elections in Germany and France likely to be targeted by Russian bots
- Russian Telegram channels use fake French magazine covers to attack Ukraine
Juknevičienė said that the Kremlin has continuously abused the West’s democratic values.
“Russia uses the tools of democracy against democracies themselves. It abuses freedom of speech, claiming that support for Putin or hatred towards Ukraine is a part of it,” Juknevičienė noted.
She stressed that Russia’s main objective was to create chaos and sow fear among EU member states and their citizens, pushing them to stop supporting Ukraine.
To combat this, Juknevičienė called on member states to cut off the direct influence channels used by Russian intelligence services and to shut down outlets such as “Russian Houses”, which are still operating in around 15 EU states.
In the MEP’s view, Europe’s future security architecture requires the creation of a European Security Council and the swiftest possible integration of Ukraine. She added that Ukraine plays a critical role in European security thanks to its unique war experience and its efforts to contain the aggressor along its borders.
Earlier, French Minister Delegate for Europe Benjamin Haddad said that France was a primary target of Russian disinformation and propaganda operations in Europe, owing to its key role in supporting Ukraine’s security.
Dozens of fake posts designed to discredit candidates and portray the country as divided were circulating in Germany ahead of the autumn elections.