A new report by the EBU Investigative Journalism Network reveals the extent of Russian hybrid attacks in Europe – including the use of “disposable agents” recruited on social media to target various countries with cyberattacks, arson, vandalism, sabotage and influence campaigns during elections.

The investigation reveals that more than 60 cases of hybrid warfare are confirmed or suspected acts by Russian operatives in Europe. They are designed to cause not only physical damage but also public confusion, doubt and fear.

The reporting group interviewed 20 government, intelligence and military officials and experts from 10 countries, who say these attacks are growing more frequent and more brazen.  

“This is the war that is going on in the shadows,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in an interview for the report. “We use the term hybrid threats or hybrid war but what is important is to understand that these kinds of attacks against us are on the rise – and not just in those countries which are bordering Russia but in the whole of Europe.”

See the full report Playing with fire: Are Russia's hybrid attacks the new European war?

For five months, investigative journalists from the EBU newsroom and nine of our members in public service media delved into dozens of incidents in Europe since the start of 2024 that were publicly linked to Russian-affiliated actors by authorities or news reports.

“Traditional” espionage activities by trained intelligence officers were left out of the scope, as were reports by unknown or unreliable sources, making the final count a conservative estimate.

Rooted in Soviet military doctrine, hybrid warfare has taken on new dimensions in the digital world. With a shrinking number of experienced intelligence agents on the ground, Russia is increasingly resorting to low-level operatives recruited and directed online, according to court records and security sources.

James Appathurai, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber, said in an interview that “we need to buckle down for a long-term problem with Russia, which will include hybrid attacks in our countries”.

“Shining a light into the world of intelligence operations, hybrid warfare and cyber saboteurs for hire requires tenacious, fact-based reporting across multiple countries, showing once again the strength of our European network,” said Pilar Requena, head of investigations at Spain’s RTVE and chair of the group’s steering committee.

“Investigative journalism is a pillar of public service broadcasting and, with the EBU and other members, we are committed to delivering the stories that keep people informed and help protect societies from unreliable information and threats to democracy.”

The new report was produced with the shared newsgathering of EBU members LRT (Lithuania), VRT (Belgium), LVT (Latvia), ERR (Estonia), RTVE (Spain), SVT (Sweden), KRO-NCRV Pointer (Netherlands), CT (Czech Republic), Yle (Finland) and the EBU newsroom (Switzerland).

“This is the biggest reporting group to date that we’ve had working on a pan-European story in the EBU Investigative Journalism Network,” said Belén López Garrido, the network’s project manager.

“Being able to access intelligence, military and government sources for on and off-the-record confirmation of the cases across the continent was an invaluable asset to fact-check the reports of alleged Russian activities in different spheres. Having such diversity of national newsrooms’ sources was an incredible asset to the story.”

Launched in 2017, the EBU Investigative Journalism Network has grown to include dozens of reporters from newsrooms across the EBU’s membership. The group, whose stories have been nominated for various international media awards, also runs workshops and acts as a networking platform to share information and best practices.

Previous reports include Who owns European football? The sale of the Beautiful Game, Russification in Occupied Ukraine and The Missing Children of Ukraine.