Countries are looking at joint offensive cyber operations and surprise military drills as Moscow steps up its campaign to destabilize NATO allies.

Ideas range from joint offensive cyber operations against Russia, and faster and more coordinated attribution of hybrid attacks by quickly pointing the finger at Moscow, to surprise NATO-led military exercises, according to two senior European government officials and three EU diplomats

“The Russians are constantly testing the limits — what is the response, how far can we go?” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže noted in an interview. A more “proactive response is needed,” she told POLITICO. “And it’s not talking that sends a signal — it’s doing.”

“Overall, Europe and the alliance must ask themselves how long we are willing to tolerate this type of hybrid warfare ... [and] whether we should consider becoming more active ourselves in this area,” German State Secretary for Defense Florian Hahn said last week.

The European Union is preparing for a direct military confrontation with Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.

"The core of the military policy pursued by NATO countries and the European Union, which has subordinated itself to the alliance, is to prepare the economy, infrastructure, logistics, society, and military for a direct armed conflict with Russia," Grushko stated at a meeting of the Expert Council of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, which discussed the prospects for changes in the political situation between Russia and the EU.

According to the senior diplomat, Russia’s relations with European countries are currently in a state of deep crisis. "By demonizing Russia, they are promoting the idea that a military conflict is inevitable unless Moscow is stopped, suffering a strategic defeat," Grushko said.

NATO and the EU are whipping up tensions in the Baltic region, Grushko went on saying.

"We see that NATO and EU countries are pursuing a policy of maximum tension in the Baltic region," he said at a meeting of the expert council of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs entitled "Russia-EU: the likelihood of a change in the political situation." - "The Baltic Sea, once the most peaceful region in Europe, with various regional associations dedicated to fostering cooperation, numerous bilateral visa-free regimes, and free movement across borders, has now become a zone of confrontation. NATO and EU countries openly say that the Baltic Sea should become an internal NATO sea," the senior diplomat noted.

"We are also seeing increased efforts by Western countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus. The goal is clear. No matter how well-intentioned this policy may sound, in reality, it aims to sever the historical ties between Russia and the states of the South Caucasus and Central Asia and weaken the CSTO and the EAEU as much as possible," Grushko pointed out.

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