Small Wars Journal

Chancellor Merkel: German Troops Face Russian 'Hybrid War' in Lithuania

Sat, 09/15/2018 - 6:01am

Chancellor Merkel: German Troops Face Russian 'Hybrid War' in Lithuania - Agence France-Presse

Rukla (Lithuania) (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday Berlin was boosting military cyber capabilities to respond to Russian hybrid warfare that is targeting its troops deployed on NATO's eastern flank.

"Here you are also confronted with a situation that represents another part of the Russian military doctrine: the idea of hybrid warfare," she told German troops stationed in Lithuania as part of a NATO force deployed to deter Russia.

NATO allies have accused Russia of using "hybrid warfare" techniques, including subversion, propaganda and cyber warfare, to undermine the West without triggering a full NATO military response.

Russia has repeatedly denied that it stages such attacks and has accused the US-led alliance of provoking an arms race.

"Hybrid warfare is not something that we are very used to. You clearly experience this here in very specific ways," Merkel added, without elaborating…

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