Blurred Lines of Conflict

Russia’s hybrid warfare—mixing drones, cyberattacks, and disinformation—exploits Europe's divisions, testing NATO and EU resilience in the grey zone between war and peace

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obert M Gates, former US Secretary of Defence, had said that “The categories of warfare are blurring and 10 longer fit into neat, tidy boxes. One can expect to see more tools and tactics of destruction—from the sophisticated to the simple—being employed simultaneously in hybrid and more complex forms of warfare” ‘This quote highlights the complexity of modern conflict, where hybrid tactics mix traditional and unconventional means.

Hybrid warfare is a military strategy that blends conventional warfare tactics with unconventional methods to achieve political or strategic goals. Rather than aiming for a decisive military victory, it often focuses on destabilising and weakening an adversary from within, frequently operating in the “grey zone” between war and peace. While addressing the UN General Assembly on September 24, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski described Russia's actions in Europe as ‘a hybrid war on multiple fronts’. He was referring to alleged Russian efforts to foster instability in other countries using conventional and unconventional means, while avoiding all-out war. Sikorski asserted that Russia continues to innovate its hybrid tactics to probe European weaknesses, as recent incidents in 2025 indicate.