The European Union and the UK intend to expand their cooperation in countering cyber-attacks, acts of sabotage and other hybrid threats against the backdrop of increased Russian activity in Europe.
According to the European bureau of Report, this was announced by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, and the UK’s Defence Secretary, Wes Stritting, in Brussels, where the EU-UK Security and Defence Dialogue is taking place.
“Cyberattacks are part of a wider war that Russia is waging against Ukraine,” said Kallas, commenting on reports of a cyberattack on a Ukrainian emergency alert app.
She said that such actions are directed, amongst other things, at the civilian population and may prevent people from being warned of threats in a timely manner.
Stritting stated that European countries must remain vigilant against cyberattacks and other hybrid threats, which, in his view, may in some cases be regarded as state-sponsored acts of terrorism.
He noted, however, that it is not yet known for certain who is behind this specific cyberattack in Ukraine.
