Hybrid Warfare – the coordinated efforts of Russia and China against the West

Russia and China are conducting hybrid warfare campaigns against Western nations, leveraging a blend of conventional military assets and non-military tactics, including cyberattacks, disinformation, economic pressure, and exploitation of political and legal systems. These efforts aim to destabilise and weaken adversaries from within.

Russia has been intensifying its sabotage campaigns across the EU, reflecting a significant escalation in hybrid hostilities. NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, pointed out that these activities are no longer confined to traditional battlegrounds but have permeated Western democracies, involving direct interference, industrial sabotage and incendiary attacks within EU borders. This is a strategic shift from where hybrid warfare tactics, including disinformation and cyber operations, are used more aggressively to undermine the stability and unity of Western nations.

China, while maintaining a more covert stance, has recently begun to employ economic coercion, bribery and corruption, along with significant lending and advancements in technology and logistics to influence political parties, subtly but effectively. By integrating itself within essential global supply chains and controlling information through technology, China exerts a soft but potent form of political influence, aimed at swaying the economic and political decisions of target countries.

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