At the Munich Security Conference, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre warned that a conflict with Russia would begin with destabilization before any military confrontation.
Cyberwar before war. At the Munich Security Conference which took place on February 17 and 18, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre warned of Russian room for maneuver to destabilize Europe before an armed conflict. The Record media reports the comments from this conference. The round table with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, focused on European defense.
The three speakers reacted to recent statements by Donald Trump. The US presidential candidate said his future administration would not protect NATO members who do not spend 2% of their GDP on defense. He added provocatively that he “ would encourage » even Russia attacked these countries.
This announcement sparked an outcry on both sides of the Atlantic. It horrified certain European countries, particularly in the east of the continent, because it would give Russia complete freedom to carry out more direct attacks on the continent, without fear of an American military defense – while Washington is the main power in NATO.
During this round table, Jonas Gahr Støre recalled that “ European democracies are already being tested by fake news, conspiracy theories and cyberattacks » from Moscow.
“ Vladimir Putin’s desire for war is limited by NATO’s capabilities », nevertheless observes the Norwegian Prime Minister. However, a conflict between Russia and other European states, beyond Ukraine, ” would not necessarily start on the military ground “, he warned. “ It would start by harming democracy and truth in these countries, and we must prepare for all these aspects. »
A report on Russian disinformation in France
Jonas Gahr Støre has previously reported that Russia poses a real and serious threat to his country’s oil and gas industry. A year ago, Norway arrested a Russian national suspected of carrying out reconnaissance operations targeting oil installations.
Viginum, the French service responsible for detecting foreign digital interference, recently published a report, entitled “Portal Kombat” on a vast Russian disinformation campaign launched from propaganda sites. France, Germany and Poland have warned that they will be more vocal about this type of destabilization in the future.
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