Dutch intelligence agencies urge government to take steps on Russia's hybrid attacks

The heads of two Dutch intelligence agencies want the government to consider taking a more active approach in the hybrid war that Russia is waging.

They perceive the Netherlands to be one of the countries being targeted by the Kremlin by those hostilities, Caliber.Az reports, citing Dutch media outlets.

Erik Akerboom, the Head of the Dutch domestic intelligence service AIVD, told the lower house of parliament on September 23 that Russia has long sought to destabilize Dutch society “through hybrid actions.”

According to him, this threat requires more frequent use of measures to make such attacks impossible “and to raise the cost of them, so that no one will attempt them again.”

This opinion is shared by Pieter Rissing, the Head of the Dutch military intelligence service MIVD, who also expressed the view that preparedness for military escalation—particularly regarding Russia—must be taken into account.

“If we want to be bold, and sometimes we will have to be bold, then we must also be ready for escalation. After all, Russia deliberately seeks this ambiguity and exploits it,” he told lawmakers.

On NATO’s eastern border, Rissing said, Russia shows an increasing willingness to take risks, and the risk of unintended escalation between Russia and the Alliance has risen in recent months.

By Nazrin Sadigova