Russia is intensifying its hybrid war against European countries, expanding the use of propaganda, disinformation, and covert influence operations while exploiting peace talks as a tool to destabilize democratic societies, Ukrainian intelligence officials said at an international forum in Brussels.
Speaking at the “Resilient Europe” forum on Dec. 17-18, the deputy head of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR), Maj. Gen. Vadym Skibitsky, said Moscow has significantly increased the number of pro-Russian agents operating in Europe’s information space.
“In February 2025, HUR recorded 75 individuals spreading Russian propaganda in European countries. In May, there were 121 such individuals, this was when meetings of Ukraine and Russia contact groups took place in Istanbul.”
“In November, when negotiations on peace conditions between Ukraine and the United States began, 169 such individuals were recorded,” Skibitsky said, adding that information operations are only one element of a broader hybrid campaign being carried out by Moscow against European states.
“The Russian Federation is conducting a hybrid war against Europe – there are relevant indicators, including drones appearing over civilian airports and military facilities,” Skibitsky said, referring to the unidentified drone sightings in autumn over airports in Germany, Denmark, and other countries.
“It can be stated that Russia is not just conducting a hybrid war, but is also expanding its means and trying to strengthen its influence on European countries,” he added.
The forum also addressed Russia’s systemic crimes against its own citizens and residents of occupied Ukrainian territories. Dmytro Usov, secretary of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said a significant share of Russian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Ukraine are not ethnic Russians.
“More than one-third of Russian prisoners of war currently held in Ukraine are not Russians. In particular, 16 percent are forcibly mobilized Ukrainian citizens, 12 percent are representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation, and another six percent are foreigners,” Usov said.
He added that 46,127 Ukrainian citizens have been forcibly mobilized into the Russian army from occupied territories.
Rena Marutian, director of the Institute of National Resilience and Security, said Russia has intensified propaganda efforts targeting European institutions since the start of the full-scale invasion.
“Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, mentions of the European Union in the Russian information space have increased by 50 percent – about one million publications. This is linked to the fact that EU countries have actively joined efforts to support Ukraine,” she said.