Russian Envoy Says EU, NATO Risk Escalating Hybrid Conflict With Moscow Into Traditional War

Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said the European Union and NATO risk transforming what he described as a hybrid war against Russia into a traditional military conflict, the Russian state news agency TASS reported.

According to TASS, Polyansky said combat potential is also increasing within the European Union itself, though the agency did not provide further details on what specific developments he was referring to.

The statement was attributed solely to Polyansky and reported by TASS; no additional context, evidence or independent confirmation of the claims was included in the source material.

Russian officials have repeatedly accused the EU and NATO of waging a so-called hybrid war against Moscow, a term generally used to describe a mix of economic sanctions, political pressure, cyber activity and support for Ukraine short of direct military engagement. Western governments have not been quoted in this report responding to Polyansky's remarks.