STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF UKRAINE As delivered by HE Yurii Vitrenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna 1546 th meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council Agenda Item 3, “Review of Current Issues” “On the Russian Federation’s hybrid activities in the OSCE region” (18 December 2025) Mr Chairperson, I would like to express our gratitude to the Delegation of the United Kingdom for raising this important topic at the Permanent Council. It is indeed highly relevant, as it highlights the global nature of the Russian threat to the OSCE area and beyond. Against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, such activities are only intensifying. Russia seeks to divert attention from its hostilities and destabilise countries that oppose the Kremlin’s war. To this end, it spares no effort, investing heavily in new operations. Russia employs a wide range of hybrid threats against its neighbours and other OSCE participating States. These include sabotage and espionage, acts of violence and assassination attempts, disinformation campaigns, malicious cyber activities, airspace violations, economic coercion, and the active use of transnational crime groups aimed at achieving its geopolitical objectives. These actions form part of a broader, deliberate Kremlin strategy to undermine the international security architecture. Such campaigns are well documented. Numerous credible reports by independent think tanks and researchers demonstrate that Russia’s malign activities are not isolated incidents. Rather, the extensive catalogue of Russian hybrid actions constitutes a toolbox from which Moscow selectively combines instruments to achieve its aggressive objectives. As underlined in a recent study on Russia’s hybrid warfare by the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Russia blends tools of statecraft and conflict much like a hybrid vehicle, seamlessly switching between different modes without immediate detection. The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document and circulates it without altering its content. The distribution by OSCE Conference Services of this document is without prejudice to OSCE decisions, as set out in documents agreed by OSCE participating States. PC.DEL/1371/2519 December 2025 ENGLISH only
2 Mr Chairperson, Russia’s actions are not merely inconsistent with the Helsinki principles; they violate international law and undermine both the national security of participating States and the international order. Russia, with the involvement of its proxies, is demonstrating its readiness to expand its aggression and destabilisation policies not only to Ukraine but also to the rest of Europe. One example is Belarus’ involvement in violations of Lithuanian airspace. It is clear that, if left without a proper response, Russia’s malign activities evolve rapidly. Propaganda and misinformation are becoming increasingly reckless, while subversive acts and cyber-attacks grow more overt and frequent. Particularly concerning is that actions below the threshold of war can quickly escalate into direct military confrontation. This is not a theoretical assumption, but a real warning based on Russia’s track record. We condemn Russia’s hostile behaviour and will continue to take action, both nationally and in cooperation with our partners, to address it. As Ukraine continues to defend itself in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter, we will also continue to strengthen our resilience and enhance the tools at our disposal to counter Russian hybrid operations. Equally important is the need to impose costs on the aggressor for its malign actions through sanctions, cyber countermeasures, diplomatic expulsions, and legal action. This approach helps outweigh the benefits Russia seeks from its hybrid operations. The resilience of our societies depends on concrete action, and the OSCE must serve as one such instrument, including by publicly exposing Russia’s malign activities. Thank you, Mr Chairperson.