Dr. Frank Umbach told phoenix that he agrees with Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt’s statement that Germany faces a high level of risk from hybrid threats, the nature and intensity of which are steadily increasing. Umbach placed the rise in hybrid threats within the context of Russia’s domestic politics. Putin now faces a fundamental decision: whether to engage in negotiations involving significant compromises or to escalate the war in Ukraine as well as the hybrid conflict with the West.
At the same time, however, Umbach believes it is appropriate to wait for comprehensive analyses before naming Russia as the perpetrator behind hybrid incidents such as the drone attack at Leipzig Airport. Umbach argues that clear threats of consequences are now needed to curb Russia’s hybrid threat. To do so, he says, we must go beyond current sanctions and eliminate existing exemptions for individual countries or industries.