A remarkable map has been prepared regarding Russia-related hybrid warfare activities in Europe. Under the coordination of the Eurovision News Spotlight network within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), journalists from public broadcasters from 17 countries examined hundreds of events and created an interactive map. In the study, in which Türkiye was not involved, events such as sabotage attempts, airspace violations, suspicious drone movements and suspicions of espionage were recorded.
The research covers the events detected and revealed to the public in different European countries between April 1 and October 15, 2026. Developments around Germany, France, Poland, the Baltic countries and the Black Sea stand out on the map. While the events were classified in different categories according to their types, evaluations regarding their connections with Russia were also recorded.
Ministers and security officials in Europe have recently been making statements about drone movements, suspicions of sabotage and airspace violations. However, information about these incidents is often limited and the identity of those responsible cannot be determined with certainty.
Based on this deficiency, the Eurovision News Spotlight network brought together events from different countries in a common database. In the study, fire and explosive attacks, suspicious drone activities, airspace violations, espionage suspicions and border security-related incidents were shown in different categories.
The research team compared the records with information obtained from open sources and conducted verification studies. The type, source and level of association with Russia of each incident were classified separately.
The map focuses on physical events and the areas where they occur. The scope includes sabotage attempts, airspace violations, operations allegedly using people without intelligence training, the use of migration as a tool and military activities near European borders.
On the other hand, cyber attacks, influence operations and espionage activities carried out by trained intelligence officers were not included in the research.
The study included only incidents that were reflected to the public as hybrid attacks and were associated with Russia by security officials, government representatives or news organizations. Therefore, the map is not considered a complete breakdown of all activities in Europe.
The team that prepared the research emphasizes that the study is not an official census. While incidents that have never been publicly disclosed are not found on the map, some signs represent interconnected activities rather than a single attack.
It is noted that the map is not an official list of events for which Russia's responsibility has been established. The study brings together publicly available information on hybrid threats that authorities in different countries have linked to Russia.
Russia, on the other hand, denies responsibility for such incidents. The map is not a document that definitively reveals the entire events or Russia's responsibility in these events.
Carlos Baraibar, head of fact-checking at digital broadcasting platform 3Cat, emphasized the importance of international cooperation and said: "To prepare this map, it was crucial to collaborate with the most affected countries, and without Spotlight, this would have been impossible. Eurovision News' coordination made the project, which involved 17 newsrooms, fast and flexible, and the result was invaluable to the audience. Working with Eurovision Spotlight creates a multiplier effect, as it helps us reach content that we could never dream of reaching on our own. In addition, we work with Europe's leading fact-checking experts." Working also helps us raise the standards of our work.”
Eurovision News Spotlight is known as a verification and open source intelligence network operating within the European Broadcasting Union. The network brings together journalists and fact-checkers working in different countries, supporting the sharing of methods, tools and training. In this way, events can be verified from sources close to the regions where they occurred and transmitted to audiences in different countries.
