The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 30th, 2024: NATO's Stark Warning Over Moscow's Hybrid Warfare & Hopes For Democracy Dashed In Syria
31 Dec 2024
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, senior NATO officials have issued a stark warning about the growing threat posed by the Kremlin’s “shadow war” against Ukraine’s western allies, which they say risks triggering a wider conflict. Then, Syria’s de facto leader announces it could be years before elections are held, dashing hopes for democracy in the war-torn nation. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
It's Monday, 30 December. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Okay, fair enough. Once again, it's the late afternoon bulletin. You could possibly even call it, depending on where you are, the early evening bulletin, but that's beside the point. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.
First, senior NATO officials have issued a stark warning about the growing threat posed by the Kremlin's shadow war against Ukraine's Western allies, which they say risks triggering a wider conflict. Then, Syria's de facto leader announces it could be years before elections are held, dashing hopes for democracy in the near term for the war-torn nation. But first, our afternoon spotlight.
We'll begin in Europe, where NATO leadership is sounding the alarm on Moscow's escalating campaign of hybrid warfare against Kiev's Western allies.
James Apatheride, Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO, warned Sky News in a recent interview that there is a, quote, real prospect for an unconventional attack by Russia against the alliance, such as an act of sabotage or arson that could result in mass casualties and put NATO on a path to war.
Apatherai, who is leading efforts in the alliance to better track and deter so-called hybrid attacks, said NATO members must communicate clear red lines and response scenarios to the Putin regime to prevent a broader clash from erupting in Eastern Europe.
As we've been covering here on the PDB, Russia has been waging a campaign of sabotage against allies of Ukraine across Europe since the war began, with attacks escalating in 2024. Russia's shadow campaign involves arson attacks, espionage, cyber attacks, targeted assassinations, and the sabotage of critical infrastructure.
It's aimed at destabilization, spreading panic among the European public, and sowing doubts about supporting Ukraine.
There has been a particular rise in what are called kinetic acts in recent months, such as the suspected sabotage of vital undersea power and data cables, or a plot by Russian agents, first reported in early November, to plant explosives aboard cargo planes bound for the US and Canada.
Apathorite, the NATO official, warned that any one of these acts could end up triggering a broader regional conflict.
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