Giuseppe Dragone (Photo: nato.int)

NATO is considering a "more aggressive" response to cyberattacks, airspace violations, and other threats from Russia. Even a "preemptive strike" is not ruled out, said Financial Times, the head of NATO's military committee, Giuseppe Dragonet.

"We study everything... In cyberspace, we are acting more reactive. We are thinking about becoming more aggressive or acting proactively rather than reactively," he said.

Some diplomats, especially from Eastern European countries, have called for NATO to stop "just reacting" and launch a "preemptive strike." This measure, in their view, would be more effective in the case of cyberattacks, but less effective in the case of sabotage or drone attacks.

According to Dragonet, a "preemptive strike" can be considered a defense by NATO, but this principle is even further from the alliance's usual way of thinking and behavior. He did not rule out that it might be worthwhile to act more aggressively than the enemy, but the question is jurisdiction – it is unclear who would do it.

"How deterrence is achieved – through a retaliatory strike, through a preemptive strike – is an issue that we need to analyze in depth, as the pressure on this issue may increase in the future," said the head of NATO's military committee.

The unnamed Baltic diplomat believes that if the alliance continues to react to threats, it will provoke Russia to continue its attempts to cause damage. Especially given that hybrid warfare is inexpensive for the Russians, but expensive for NATO members. The Alliance must become "more resourceful."

Dragonet acknowledged that the problem with NATO members is that they have more restrictions than other countries due to "ethics, law and jurisdiction."

"This is a problem. I do not want to say that this is a losing position, but it is a more difficult position than our colleagues," he said.

  • on November 20, the United States expressed a desire to have NATO troops in Europe germany was in command for the first time in history.
  • november 22 in Estonia assessed the possibility of an invasion Russia. According to the country's foreign minister, a few years ago there were 120,000 Russian troops near Estonia's borders, but now it is empty.