You don't gotta look at past cards to know that Russian tackles in Europe have been going on for 200 years. Since the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, Russia has played (more or little intensely) to make divisions and evoke animosity among Europeans. It's mostly effective. present NATO remains the main guarantor of Europe's security. However, a holistic approach to threats is needed. And this is the domain of the European Union.
The Credo of the European Union is drawn on a common currency. The main graphic motif on euro banknotes is bridges and windows. Windows symbolize openness and bridges represent connecting. Graphics show that the foundations of the EU have been built in relation to deep human values, navigate as far distant from war as possible.
Windows on bridges
The overarching inspiration for European integration was to effectively prevent the anticipation of armed conflicts between the countries of the Old Continent. The common market, the single currency, civilian rights, freedom of travel and settlement served to keep the essential azimuth. And it worked. However, the European Union has never prepared to defend its external borders. And even if there were trials like this, no of them came up.
Meanwhile, strengthening Russian hybrid and cognitive attacks on Europe has become a fact. It is not just about the propaganda offensive and the activation of spy nets and cyber aggression for critical infrastructure, energy networks and rail transport. The Russian contractor from Minsk has intensified the invasion of migrants, the installations from Köniwiec regularly jam the GPS signal in the Baltic and the cases of aggressive Allied Airspace penetration by Russian tactical aviation have stopped counting.
On a non-military level, Russia (with Belarus) has been real threats to the EU for years through provocations and hostile acts of destabilization. Recently, we have witnessed the breach of a cross-border agreement with Finland, information and information operations against Moldova and Georgia, attempts to interfere with elections in Romania, attacks on state and financial institutions, misinformation, sabotage and the inspiring of riots, average the radicalisation of social and political sentiments of corruption. It's nothing new. Russian attack in Europe has been going on for 200 years.
Confederate tools
Since the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, Russia has played (more or little intensely) to make divisions and evoke animosity among Europeans. The ally was found in Britain, which, after the victorious conflict of Waterloo, was located in the east just to balance the power of France and the unifying Germany. The Crimean War, in which Paris and London together defeated Moscow, was an episode confirming the rule.
Hundreds of migrants close the Polish-Belarusian border in Kuźnica. Migrants tried to force them to enter Poland. Border integrity was guarded by border guards, police and over 12,000 soldiers. 08.11.2021
The dream environment of the hidden Moscow offensive was the Europe of national states, which did not have a common platform to let capitals with different interests to agree on defence measures. The League of Nations established at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 had to prove to be a toothless tiger, as it did not have interior mechanics of causality, with rudimentary elements of possible effectiveness. Its current incarnation, or UN, has a somewhat higher species weight, although its effectiveness is comparable. The safety Council has not prevented any war yet.
The League of Nations' eventual goal was to "maintain peace and cooperation", but without tools to enforce these ambitions it remained a debate club. Indeed, respective “fanatics” (Edouard Herriot, Aristide Briand, Gustav Stresemann, Richard Coudenhove-Kallergi) attempted to confederate the peoples of Europe on the foundation of pan-Europeanism. However, given the prosperity of European nationalisms and Russian (in the russian edition) imperialism, the creation of a state-wide national organization was impractical. These ideas were moved to the present and took on the robes of the European Council. Let us admit that its possible for the possible of the European Union (built on hard economical integration and not just on humanistic ideas) is almost imperceptible.
Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Russian strategy has always been to support utmost political and terrorist movements. In the 1970s, the activity of Palestinian Al-Fatah, Italian Brigate Rosse, or German Rote Armee Fraktion (the name itself deprives uncertainty as to the nature of the organization), was financed by Moscow. Terrorists treated wounds in the German Democratic Republic, where asylum safety was guaranteed by 400,000 russian soldiers from the Western Army Group.
Prior to planet War II, the tool of russian imperialism was the Communist International, although the Kremlin utilized equally effectively white emigration, which fled to Paris, Berlin and London from the Bolsheviks. But they are highly strong Communist parties in Germany, France and Italy, loyal to Moscow, not to national capitals, were a origin causing conflicts, causing confusion and destabilization.
The USSR was an undisputed winner of planet War II, but wanted more. The Kremlin financed many peaceful, anti-nuclear and ecological movements. Europe did not have a good answer to this kind of aggression.
Today, ideological facts have no meaning. Moscow uses chauvinists and nationalists whose ideological slogans can be declaratively aimed at Putin and his Camaryla (mask). Effects are important; divisions and conflicts within a united Europe.
Putin builds in Europe a pro-Russian coalition of ultra-right and Eurosceptic parties, although he inactive does not despise communists; as in Greece. Already a decade ago, the Kremlin invited 58 European parties, groups or movements to cooperate. This is like mincing the foundations of an alliance of European structures with the US.
