Suchergebnisse

A new tension in the relationship between Russia and its western neighbours, particularly Latvia, has emerged since countries in the former Russian sphere of influence were brought into the EU and NATO. The EU should make use of the new Member States' knowledge of Russia acquired during their forced coexistence, in order to promote the emergence of effective cooperation with Moscow. The author argues that a rapid reduction of Russia's labour force, corresponding to its demographic decline, will advance Russia's political ambitions to return to the politics of power that existed in the nineteenth century. Russia will not stop trying to interfere in regional politics and will find new tools, such as energy, to do so. Russia's inability to offer an honest evaluation of history, along with its resurgence as an authoritarian state and as a military and energy superpower, does not reveal Russia as a friend of a united Europe.

Against the backdrop of the deterioration of EU–Russia relations in recent years, there has been a shift in the awareness of hybrid threats all across the Union. At the same time, there is evidence of a growing political will to strengthen resilience to these threats. While hostile foreign actors have long deployed hybrid methods to target Europe, Russia's intervention in Ukraine in 2014, interference in the 2016 US presidential election, and repeated cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns aimed at EU member states have marked a turning point, exposing Western countries' unpreparedness and vulnerability to these threats. This article analyses the EU's resilience to hybrid warfare from institutional, regulatory and societal perspectives, with a particular focus on the information space. By drawing on case studies from member states historically at the forefront of resisting and countering Russian-backed disinformation campaigns, this article outlines the case for a whole-of-society approach to countering hybrid threats and underscores the need for EU leadership in a standard-setting capacity.