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. 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. Subscribe: For more news go to: Follow DW on social media: ►Facebook: ►Twitter: ►Instagram: ►Twitch: Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: #russia #cyberattack #espionage