13 February 2026

Russian Hybrid Warfare Backfiring

Pavel K. Baev

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, the Chair of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee, stated in December 2025 that the organization is considering more proactive countermeasures and aggressive responses to Russia’s hybrid warfare.

A significant majority of Russians want to see an end to the war, which proves that the Kremlin is losing its information war. Russia’s diminished Olympic presence highlights its loss of international legitimacy, reinforcing a broader narrative of decline.

Russian military gains in Ukraine come at a high human cost, while hybrid warfare tactics increasingly provoke stronger EU and NATO responses, suggesting that the Kremlin’s confrontational choices are accelerating Russia’s degradation rather than securing military victory.

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