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<\/p>\nLocal residents inspect damaged cars at the site of a Russian attack in Odesa on February 13, 2026. (AFP Photo)<\/p>\n
\nFebruary 14, 2026 10:21 AM GMT+03:00\n<\/p>\n
Germany’s intelligence chief on Friday called for imposing tangible costs on Russia for its hybrid warfare campaign, warning that deterrence will fail unless Moscow also feels \u201cpain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking at a panel titled \u201cDestructive Ambiguity: Deterring and Countering Hybrid Warfare\u201d at the Munich Security Conference, Martin Jager, head of the German Federal Intelligence Service, or BND, said Western responses so far have been insufficient.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must make it very clear to the other side: if you continue to do such things, this will not be without consequences,\u201d Jager said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the missing last link,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Jager said Western countries should more frequently demonstrate their ability to respond in kind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should much more often prove that we would be able to do very similar things to make the other side also feel the pain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\nA view of the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC 2026), which brings together leading foreign policy and security experts from across the transatlantic world at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel, Munich, Germany on February 13, 2026. (AA Photo)\n<\/p>\n
Hybrid warfare and deterrence<\/p>\n
Jager described Russian hybrid warfare as an integral part of Moscow’s military doctrine, aimed at dividing NATO, manipulating elections, and weakening European Union institutions.<\/p>\n
He cited sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation, drone incursions, and espionage as key tools used in these efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeterrence is not working yet,\u201d Jager said, calling for a more operational posture and a \u201cwhole-of-government approach.\u201d He stressed that \u201cthe public is the main target.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘You have a weak state’<\/p>\n
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said her country has experienced \u201cprobably all the elements of hybrid war,\u201d identifying cognitive and information warfare as the most dangerous components.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the case of Moldova, Russia’s narrative has been: you are a small country, you have a weak state,\u201d Sandu said, adding that Moscow has sought to portray the EU as incompatible with Moldova’s \u201ctraditional values.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said that on Election Day, the Moldova Central Electoral Commission website faced \u201calmost 1 billion malicious requests\u201d in an effort to discredit the vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust one troll farm \u2026 reached 35 million views in a country with 2.4 million people,\u201d Sandu said, estimating that Russia spent the equivalent of 2% of Moldova’s gross domestic product (GDP) on interference efforts last year.<\/p>\n
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said democracies must remain cautious but firm.<\/p>\n
More to Read<\/p>\n
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