EU reviews emergency security protocol as Kallas warns of Russian sabotage plans

Intelligence warnings in Brussels

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas alerted European defence ministers on Monday to intelligence showing that Russia is planning further sabotage operations across the continent. Speaking ahead of ministerial talks in Brussels on 28 September 2026, Kallas stated that Moscow aims to weaken European backing for Ukraine by destabilizing public confidence and targeting democratic institutions. European officials define these hybrid threats as covert actions below the threshold of open warfare, including cyberattacks, drone incursions, disruption of undersea communications cables, and instrumentalized migration.

We need to be vigilant, as we see, through intelligence, that Russia is planning more acts of sabotage and attacks against our democracy, to divide our society and intimidate our societies, leading them to stop helping Ukraine.

Emergency security protocol under discussion

The ministerial agenda focused on drafting an EU emergency security protocol to govern collective action during crises that fall short of armed conflict. The mechanism, proposed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her State of the European Union address on 16 September 2026 in Strasbourg, draws inspiration from Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty. Under the proposal, any member state facing threats to its territorial integrity or security can trigger rapid consultations involving all member states, the European Commission, and the European External Action Service. Von der Leyen also called for the establishment of a European Security Council to coordinate unified responses.

If one EU member state triggers this, all member states will come together and coordinate a unified European response.

Coordination between European allies

Ministers and state representatives entering the Brussels summit stressed the need for joint action between the European Union and NATO. Sebastian Hartmann, German Parliamentary State Secretary for the Ministry of Defence, represented Berlin in place of Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and described the hybrid attacks as unacceptable. Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen stated that pressure from Moscow has grown against nations aiding Kyiv, requiring a calm and resolute stance. Poland has repeatedly accused Moscow of sabotage operations since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk citing risks from drone and missile incursions. Last week, Denmark's military intelligence service FE assessed that Russian hybrid strikes against Western targets remain probable in the coming months, though a direct invasion of a NATO ally is unlikely.

Maritime operations and sanctions policy

Alongside discussions on hybrid defence, Kallas addressed the security situation in the Middle East and maritime protection in the Red Sea. Italy proposed expanding the European Union's naval mission Operation Aspides, which was established in February 2024 to defend commercial shipping against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Kallas reported that the mission requires additional vessels, though member states have not yet provided binding commitments for new deployments. Meanwhile, the EU extended sanctions against 3,000 individuals and entities linked to the war in Ukraine for three years last Tuesday, finalizing the decision five hours before expiration. European officials confirmed that two Russian oligarchs, Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, were removed from the blacklist following requests from France and Slovakia.