Hybrid war is also war. It blends political, economic, informational, and cyber tools, tests the resilience of democratic societies, eroding public trust, exploiting vulnerabilities, and probing the very foundations of European security.
At a recent side event at the 2025 Riga Conference, “Russia’s Hybrid War: The Northern Front,” hosted by the Stockholm Free World Forum (Frivärld) and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), experts stressed that resilience alone is not enough. Democracies must move beyond just resilience and toward hybrid deterrence.
Moderated by Oliver Morwinsky, Head of KAS in the Baltic States, the discussion featured Minna Ålander, Senior Fellow at Frivärld, Anna Rennéus Guthrie, Director of Frivärld, and Dr. Ieva Bērziņa, Senior Researcher at the National Defence Academy of Latvia. The panel examined how Russia’s hybrid tactics continue to challenge Northern Europe’s strategic posture and raised the crucial question of when to respond — and when restraint may serve better.
While the Baltic States and Finland have often been forced into a defensive stance, the conversation pointed toward a potential turning point: a shift from reaction to initiative, from resilience to active deterrence.
The newly released book, “Russia’s Hybrid War: The Northern Front,” offers a deeper analytical framework for understanding and countering hybrid threats across Europe’s northern flank.
Purchase the book here.
Read more about the conference here.