BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Russia on Thursday of waging a hybrid war against European countries and announced that Berlin is developing an "action plan" to counter such threats.

“Russia, with ever-increasing ruthlessness, is attempting to destabilize us in Germany and in Europe with hybrid means of warfare,” the conservative leader told lawmakers. “But Putin is miscalculating. We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated,” he said.

Merz claimed that Russia was behind the latest unidentified drone sightings, airspace violations, and numerous acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and murders in Europe.

"We will defend ourselves against these threats now and in the future. That's why the National Security Council, which we recently established, is developing a comprehensive action plan to counter such hybrid threats," the chancellor said. The government will discuss the plan in the coming days, with implementation coordinated across several ministries and relevant state institutions.