Russia’s Hybrid Threats in 2024: A Growing Concern for Romania
As the world grapples with evolving security challenges, a recent report by Italian intelligence services highlights Russia’s increasing role as a hybrid threat actor, posing risks not only to Italy but also to countries like Romania. Utilizing a mix of information warfare, economic coercion, cyber operations, and diplomatic tactics, Moscow’s aggressive activities have raised alarms across Europe.
Russian Hybrid Threats: A Closer Look
According to the annual Report on Information Policy for Security 2025, prepared by Italy’s Sistema de Informazione per la Sicurezza della Repubblica, Moscow has intensified its hybrid activities to undermine Western unity and influence democratic debates in targeted countries. The report specifically mentions:
- 25,000 highly active TikTok accounts supporting Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu two weeks before the election;
- 797 network accounts created in 2016 but remained dormant until November 11, 2024, with sudden activity spikes since August 2023;
- 5,005 subscribers to the Telegram channel “Propagator,” suspected of coordinating the network, with a significant increase in registrations within a short period;
- $381,000 spent on sponsoring content dissemination through the network by October 24.
This interference involved the creation, dissemination, and promotion of political propaganda content, including through influencers and fake accounts to support the presidential candidate. Additionally, cyber attacks targeting Romania’s electoral process were reported, with 85,000 attacks on the country’s IT&C infrastructure by November 25.
Cyber Threats and Electoral Integrity
The Italian intelligence report highlights how these cyber attacks exploited vulnerabilities in the electoral IT systems to access, manipulate, or disrupt data, compromising the integrity of the electoral process. With advanced anonymization techniques, attackers were able to evade detection and attribution, posing significant challenges to defending against such threats.
Conclusion
As Russia continues to engage in hybrid warfare tactics, countries like Romania face increasing risks to their democratic processes and national security. The findings of the Italian intelligence report underscore the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures and international cooperation to safeguard against these evolving threats.
FAQs
What are hybrid threats?
Hybrid threats refer to a combination of conventional and unconventional tactics used by state and non-state actors to achieve strategic objectives, often blurring the lines between warfare and non-military activities.
How can countries defend against cyber attacks?
Effective cybersecurity measures include robust network monitoring, regular software updates, user training, and information sharing with international partners to identify and mitigate potential threats.