Moscow, September 30, 2026 – The Europe Today: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has rejected an allegation by BBC correspondent Steve Rosenberg that Russia is conducting a covert “hybrid war” against European countries, arguing that Moscow’s actions are a response to threats arising from Western military support for Ukraine.
During an exchange on the sidelines of the 23rd Valdai Club meeting, Rosenberg asked Lavrov whether Russia acknowledged that it was waging a hybrid war against European countries. Lavrov questioned whether the reference was to Russia’s efforts to intercept and destroy drones and missiles supplied by Britain and other European countries to Ukraine and subsequently used against Russian targets.
Lavrov said that if the question concerned Russian strikes against infrastructure being used by Ukraine with Western support, Moscow considered such actions the use of conventional military force to counter what it regards as a direct security threat.
The Russian foreign minister also maintained that Moscow had no intention of entering into a war with Europe. At the same time, he argued that European countries were increasing military preparations and weapons production, which he said could contribute to further escalation.
The exchange comes amid continuing disagreements between Russia and Western governments over allegations of so-called hybrid warfare, including incidents involving drones and critical infrastructure. Western officials have attributed some such incidents to Russia, while Moscow has rejected a number of those accusations.
