The Morning Edition Why Western democracies are struggling against Russia's and China’s 'hybrid war'
Oct 1, 2025
Peter Hartcher, a political and international editor at The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, dives into the tactics of Russia and China’s 'hybrid war.' He discusses the recent drone incursions over Europe, highlighting growing boldness fueled by Western complacency. Hartcher critiques the West’s slow response to these threats and explains how this hybrid warfare blurs the lines of traditional conflict. He also urges Australia to adopt a firmer stance towards both Russia and China to safeguard its interests.
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Probing Flights Test Resolve
- Repeated unidentified drone and aircraft incursions into European airspace look like deliberate probes from Russia.
- Peter Hartcher frames them as testing responses to see whether nations show 'steel' or 'mush'.
Hybrid Tactics Borrow Lenin's Logic
- Hartcher links the 'mush response' tactic to Lenin's probe-with-a-bayonet aphorism and Putin's use of hybrid tools.
- The tactic aims to confuse democracies and divide alliances by staying below conventional-war thresholds.
Explosive Parcels Foiled In Europe
- Lithuania recently arrested 15 people alleged to have links to Russian military intelligence for planting incendiary parcels on cargo planes.
- The parcels ignited but were found on the ground and extinguished, avoiding midair disasters.