- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered targeting NATO and the EU to destabilise them from within
- Russia planned a dual strategy probing NATO commitments and destabilising Moldova politically
- US intelligence warned potential NATO tests this autumn via cyberattacks and armed incursions
Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered his military and intelligence agencies to target NATO and the European Union with the explicit aim of "destroying NATO and the EU from within," according to details from a secret Kremlin meeting reported by The New York Times.
The report, based on accounts from intelligence officials across two nations familiar with the December 2025 meeting, said Russia worked out a dual-track strategy. Moscow's plan was to probe NATO's collective defence commitments while simultaneously engineering the political and physical destabilisation of Moldova.
US intelligence agencies assessed that a test of alliance resolve could happen as early as this autumn, with possible operations ranging from cyberattacks and infrastructure sabotage to incursions along NATO's eastern edge using unidentified armed groups.
Western officials noted that Moldova represents Moscow's primary lever for a bigger European destabilisation short of a direct NATO confrontation.
"Conquering Ukraine remains Putin's top priority, but establishing control over Moldova is second," Western intelligence officials told the newspaper.
Moscow's long-term plan reportedly involves capturing southern Ukraine to construct a direct land corridor from Russian-controlled territory to Moldova. Such a move would leave the small nation of 2.4 million people, situated between Ukraine and NATO member Romania, completely exposed.
Russia already maintains a military presence inside Moldovan territory through Transnistria, a breakaway region where Russian troops have been stationed for decades. That foothold places Moscow's forces within a short striking distance of Chisinau, the capital.
The pressure tactics do not rely solely on future troop movements as recent actions near the border have already demonstrated Moldova's vulnerability to indirect attacks. A Russian strike on a Ukrainian hydroelectric plant in March caused an oil spill in the Dniester River, cutting off key water supplies to Moldova's third-largest city. Subsequent drone strikes targeted high-voltage power lines in western Ukraine that supply a significant share of Moldova's electricity.
"Hybrid attacks happen every day," German Chief of Defence General Carsten Breuer warned, describing ongoing non-conventional operations across Europe's eastern flank.
In response, Poland and the Baltic nations have escalated security protocols around critical infrastructure, including dams, power stations and gas networks. Authorities fear Moscow could deploy Ukrainian-manufactured drones in false-flag operations.
"The goal of such an operation would be less about physical destruction and more about creating political chaos inside NATO," a Baltic intelligence official told news agency Reuters. "It would force Washington and European capitals into debate over attribution and whether to trigger a collective response."
