Russia's hybrid warfare: The real threat to the West? | To The Point

NATO leaders saythey don´t want to be drawn into a war with Russia. That’s also what Germany’s chancellor Olaf Scholz claims. But experts assert: Russia has long been at war with the West and with Germany.

Putin uses many weapons in his covert war: cyberattacks, sabotage and disinformation. Or the latest example: a wiretapping affair surrounding a conversation between German army officials about delivering Taurus missiles to Ukraine.

It took little effort but created maximum damage to Germany's image. Since the war in Ukraine began, the West, and especially Germany, as Kiev’s second most important supporter, has been increasingly targeted by Russia's secret services.

How dangerous is this shadow war and what can be done to counter it? *** On To the Point we ask: Russia's hybrid warfare: the real threat to the West?

Our guests:

Leslie Schübel, is an expert on Russia at Germany’s Körber Foundation
Rüdiger von Fritsch, is a former German ambassador to Moscow. He was also the vice-president of the German Federal Intelligence Service BND from 2004 to 2007.
Roman Goncharenko, is my DW colleague from Ukraine, currently working with DW’s Russian service in Bonn.

Chapters:
00:00 Opener
02:05 Hybrid warfare is invisible.
03:50 Media is the key to counter hybrid warfare.
04:10 Are the Russian intelligence services more effective than their Western counterparts?
07:00 “We must oblige to the rules of communication”.
08:05 The key issues are security and freedom.
08:45 How vulnerable are the Western countries?
10:20 The trust in Western unity must be kept.
11:50 Is Germany at war with Russia?
12:20 Russia is in a hybrid war with the West.
13:30 KGB officers are trained as technical operators, not strategists.
14:40 The West must see and act upon the logic of the other side.
15.30 Is the West too careless about Russian hybrid attacks?
17:30 What strategies can Ukraine and the West follow against the cyberwar?
19:50 The German mentality about war is changing quickly.
21:00 Putin is afraid of the reaction of his own people.
23:50 Russia tries to undermine the trust between NATO allies.

Follow DW on social media:
#russia #cyberattack #espionage

[petertiang]

Neither should you forget that the US wiretapped Angela Merkels phone... lol

[Maratreason]

An expert on Russia is always some Ukrainian who has lived in Germany for many years. Already funny :)

[johnadam]

Why should not Russia snoop in on German army communications when Germany is aiding war against Russia ?

Russia is an expert in hybrid war and land war and aerial war.

What is the frustration if someone is better at things you also do ?

[lbqnwfc]

How is tapping weapons supply information against you "an act of war"?

[markokrompic]

Speaking of unity...who blew up Russian gas pipeline😂?

[fronabulax]

lets no forget the wiretapped phonecall from Vicky Nuland😅

[PerceivedREALITY]

Zelensky didn't try to prevent the conflict through diplomacy because he lacks honor and integrity.

In 2014 there was a coup. Soon after, there was a massacre in Odessa (dozens of people were burned alive). Ethnic Russians living in Ukraine were treated as subhuman. Their language and culture was being oppressed. A civil war broke out due to the rise in ethnic tensions. For 8 years the Ukrainian military was indiscriminately shelling civilians living in Donbas.

If Zelensky honored the Minsk agreement and pledged neutrality, none of this would have happened. The 8 year civil war would have ended and Donbas would have remained part of Ukraine. War is the ultimate failure of diplomacy.

Zelensky admitted that Ukraine had no intention to honor the Minsk agreements.

Who didn't want peace? Who advised against the 2022 peace talks in April? Hint: someone visited Zelensky in Kiev at that time

Russia's national security was compromised once nato began to expand eastwards. Russia clearly stated that Ukraine joining nato was a red line (November 2021) and unfortunately this concern was never taken seriously. The Russians openly stated: if nothing changes, we will be forced to act in order to defend our national security. Enhancing the national security of one country at the expense of another is unacceptable. The Russians have legitimate security concerns.

20th September, 2021. Ukraine launched military drills with US and NATO

NATO is not a defensive alliance. Nato illegally bombed Yugoslavia (a direct violation of the U.N. Charter).
We should never forget what they did to Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq etc.

Who blew up the pipeline causing an environmental disaster?

Zelensky banned all opposition and arrested a leading priest.

Zelensky tried to invoke article 5 under false pretenses. Remember the incident in Poland.

Ethnic Russians living in Ukraine were treated as subhuman. Their language and culture was being oppressed.
Poroshenko said, “Our children will go to schools and kindergartens—theirs will hide in the basements”.

Russians will never forget the 2014 Odessa massacre. The whole world needs to know about it.

Why was Denis Kireev eliminated? He was a member of Ukraine's negotiating team during the peace negotiations. He wanted to help his country.

Ukraine has a hit list. They target artists, journalists and ordinary citizens. Hundreds of children are on this list. 13 year old Faina Savenkova was placed on this list.
Pink Floyd's Roger Waters is on this list. Jimmy Dore (American stand-up comedian, podcaster) and Aaron Maté (Canadian writer and journalist) are on this list.

There is evidence that Ukrainian troops have been indiscriminately shelling civilians in Donbas. (they used petal mines and targeted areas where there was no military presence).

The azov troops trapped in the azovstal steelworks in Mariupol used human shields. They refused to allow civilians to leave despite of humanitarian corridors being present.
Russia held a proposed cease fire in order for the civilians to leave, but azov would not allow the civilians to leave.

Ukraine has committed many acts of terrorism (car bombs and other forms of assassination). Darya Dugina (journalist) RIP

The first terrorist attack on the Kerch bridge killed the truck driver and the individuals in the adjacent car (innocent civilian victims).
The second terrorist attack on the Kerch bridge killed two parents and severely injured their young daughter.

I have done a lot of research and it took me a long time to write this comment. I have stated a lot of facts and I have given my honest opinion.
I have provided a brief summary of events that took place. In order to explain this whole situation in great detail, a book would need to be written.
Hopefully someone will write an UNBIASED book, stating facts and allowing the readers to form their own judgments. Everything I said can be fact checked and verified.

[operator]

this is rich. the cia recently admitted it had bases in ukraine for 10 years before the conflict began that was carrying out all manner of operations and they admitted to all kinds of things of their own volition. russia is not the aggressor and hasnt been from the beginning.

[jeremygibbs]

I liked them addressing this cyber warfare that we are encountering. It is becoming a very powerful method of attack more and more.

[mohamedyusuf]

Who was wiretapped Angela markel? Did any one of you remember?

[imaveze]

What did the German defense minister say " I don't care what Germans think, ".? What does that say about German democracy?

[rarirover]

Emagine all these ganging on one country mother Russia 🤣🤣

[genoveseLLB]

CIA sure has control over these analysts. CIA/Mi6 propoganda

[gaborrajnai]

No DW Germany doesnt want to deliver the Taurus missile to Ukraine. You are the one who wants Taurus missile to be delivered into Ukraine. Do not identify your views to the views of the public.

[jamesmiller]

Europe and the West in general will have to come to terms with Russia's interest, they can never be your Africa, and you can only work with them on an equal basis, those who entertain ideas like Russia becoming a back water of Europe are simply dreaming.

[MrLandLrD]

REMEMBER VICTORIA NEWLAND LEAKED CONVO PLANING THE COUP😂😂😂😂

[antebratincevic]

If you want to inform, then don't manipulate and lie. Plain and simple.

[mayamachine]

oh, we're watching a hybrid warfare production right now

[calypsocostelo]

NATO and Russia officially are enemies, unofficially, in secret are friends... 😂

[FargarJaji-pf]

This Putin must be genious, from what I gather from this discussion. Or else these are buffoons.