Shadow war against the West: Carlo Masala in an interview

DIE ZEIT: Mr. Masala, it has been said more and more recently that Germany is the target of "hybrid attacks" and that Russia is waging a "hybrid war" against the West - how useful do these terms make?

Carlo Masala: I prefer to talk about a shadow war. A hybrid war suggests a distance and makes me think that things aren't that bad. From Russia's perspective, it has long been a war that the country is waging against the West, just in secret. It takes place on many levels, through espionage, disinformation, as we saw in the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, and the attempt to destroy cargo planes in Leipzig. All of these means are intended to unsettle and divide the West in order to prevent further support for Ukraine.