Estonia points to Russia over arson at defence firm
Estonia has accused Russia of ordering an arson attack on an Estonian defence company in August, saying the incident fits a pattern of sabotage carried out on Moscow's behalf. The Kremlin rejected the accusation outright. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesperson, told reporters in response to an AFP question that such statements are baseless, ill-considered, have no relation to reality and lack any form of reasoning, adding that Moscow cannot and will not take them seriously.[S1]
Rutte urges allies to stay calm and keep backing Kyiv
NATO secretary general Mark Rutte called on allies to remain calm and sustain their support for Ukraine, arguing that Russia is failing to undermine the alliance's backing for Kyiv despite a growing number of sabotage and drone incidents. Speaking at a press conference alongside Lithuania's prime minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, Rutte said Russia continues a reckless campaign of hostile actions against NATO allies, aimed at weakening their resolve and halting support for Ukraine. He acknowledged that hybrid attacks are having an impact but insisted NATO retains all the response options it needs, some visible and some not.[S1]
Rutte said he agrees with criticism of the term hybrid threat, which he said sounds too soft and fails to convey the severity of the danger. He praised Estonia for publicly attributing the arson attack to Russia whenever evidence allows, and argued that the best answer to actions in this grey zone is more support for Ukraine. He also said allies should not be naive about Russia, but noted Moscow knows NATO is stronger and that continued investment will keep it stronger in two, three and five years.[S1]
Lithuania's PM disputes talk of an imminent threat
Sinkevičius described Europe's security environment as difficult, saying Moscow's conduct has grown more aggressive and less constrained, and he cited hybrid operations in Lithuania, Poland, Germany and other countries. According to him, what matters now is not how close Russia is but how it behaves. He nonetheless disputed recent alarms from Denmark, Poland and Germany about a possible imminent danger, stating that nothing indicates Russia is preparing and that intelligence agencies have offered no genuine proof of such preparations.[S1]
Lithuania's prime minister said Moscow aims to sow fear and division, but that this effort will fail, adding that his nation is not trembling and is carrying out what is required. He conceded the danger persists, though he said it is not currently seen as growing, and he dismissed claims that something might occur in the next months or weeks as overstated. He further pointed out that Lithuania ranks among NATO's biggest defence spenders, exceeding 5% of GDP, and asked Rutte to attend a 2027 ceremony for the permanent stationing of a German brigade in Lithuania.[S1]
NATO's military chief warns of a war of wills
NATO's top commander, Alexus Grynkewich, told EU lawmakers in a rare appearance at the European parliament that the goal of Russian activity right now is primarily to break the West's will to keep supporting Ukraine. He argued that if the security situation is made to seem dire enough, populations will want their nations to withhold support for their own protection, and that reinforcing the will to back Ukraine after a hybrid attack would show Moscow its strategy is not working and might persuade it to back off.[S1]
Top NATO figures appear focused on publicly calling out Russia's tactics in an effort to stop Moscow from succeeding and from shaping social attitudes toward helping Ukraine, particularly ahead of 2027, when major elections are due in France, Italy, Poland and Spain.[S1]
