KYIV — Russia’s Vladimir Putin is preparing for a broader confrontation with Europe amid an uptick in the Kremlin’s hybrid attacks on the continent, Ukraine’s former Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned.

In an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, Kuleba, who was Ukraine’s foreign policy chief from 2020 to 2024, said that Russia’s continued war preparations and anti-European propaganda are signs that Putin is planning attacks on other European countries.

“Anti-European hysteria is being fueled in Russia, which I interpret as the preparation for a broader conflict with the rest of Europe,” said Kuleba, before adding: “We [Ukrainians] don’t have to drag you — Putin will drag you into the war.”

European officials say Moscow has upped its hybrid campaign across the continent in recent months, using cyberattacks, sabotage and disinformation to disrupt critical infrastructure and weaken support for Ukraine.

Kuleba said the failed drone attack on the Leipzig airport in Germany in August was a sign of “growing preparation” for an offensive on the continent. “They see how your intelligence operates. They see how your security forces operate. They see how you react and they draw conclusions,” he added.

In the aftermath of the incident, the German government concluded that Moscow was responsible for the attack, and ordered a review of security around sensitive locations.

However, Kuleba, who stood down as Ukraine’s foreign policy chief in September 2024, does not think Russia is preparing a full-scale offensive beyond Ukraine. In his view, Moscow is more likely to launch an attack on NATO countries involving drones targeting key infrastructure that would test the alliance’s unity and preparedness.

“The truth is that Russia does not need 400,000 more people to wage that war. It needs five drones,” he said, adding that in the event of an attack, “[Europeans] can call for NATO consultations… can call for restraint. But this will only encourage Putin to make the next step … He will always have enough drone and missile capabilities.”

Kuleba no longer believes Putin can be persuaded to end the war through negotiations. “He’s not looking for a solution, for a pause, and there will be no moment when he will start looking for it,” he said, concluding: “Putin is a guarantee of war: anyone after Putin is a chance for peace.”

According to Kuleba, any attempts at negotiating with Putin, or pushing for peace, are a waste of time. “The sooner we come to terms with reality, the better policies we can develop to address it,” he said.

He noted that while Europe’s political culture is based on “a win-win approach” in which both sides can benefit, Putin’s outlook is very different: “For him, a solution that benefits both sides is not the best option. For him, the world works on the principle of victory and defeat. One side has to win and the other has to lose,” said Kuleba.

The former foreign minister also warned that Ukraine would face its worst ever winter as Moscow ups its attacks against civilians in a bid to break their spirit.

In recent months, Russian strikes have hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and transport links, including bridges over the Dnipro river, as well as homes and civilian sites such as bus stops, schools, postal depots and internet providers. The attacks have disrupted power, transport and daily life as winter approaches.

On Thursday, at least 33 people were killed in a Russian attack on two buses in Kramatorsk in Ukraine’s Donbas region.

Kuleba explained why he believed Moscow has now sharply escalated its airstrikes: “The bombing of cities is a direct consequence of Russia’s failure to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield.” He continued: “The main target of Russian drones and missiles is the Ukrainians’ will to resist — but also the will of Ukraine’s friends abroad to keep supporting it.”

He added:“They don’t just want to turn out the lights in Ukraine. They want to paralyze the country.”

Kuleba described the worst-case scenario in Ukraine as “the collapse of the systems that make life in a big city possible,” such as electricity, water and drainage services.

Could Russia succeed? “I believe Ukraine is too large, too mobile and too adaptable. That’s why I think we’ll get through this winter,” said Kuleba.

“The price will be much higher than last year’s.”

The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network harnesses the resources of the company’s newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet, The Telegraph, and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms: online, print, TV and audio. 

BERLIN — Former German intelligence chief August Hanning angrily challenged his successor after learning that the agency he once headed, the BND, had passed allegations that he was a Russian spy to investigators. 

In a three-page letter sent on Aug. 17, less than three months before his arrest this week, Hanning demanded answers to 11 questions from BND President Martin Jäger.

In the letter, obtained by WELT — which, like POLITICO, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network — Hanning complained that the BND had passed allegations by a former intelligence agent that he was a Russian spy to investigators without consulting him.

Jäger did not respond to the letter at the time, according to Hanning, who spoke to WELT before his arrest.

Hanning’s subsequent arrest, including on suspicion of attempted treason, has caused considerable concern abroad. Grzegorz Malecki, the former head of Poland’s foreign intelligence service, told WELT that the case was “extremely concerning” and could deepen allies’ distrust of the BND. He warned this had the potential to undermine intelligence-sharing with Germany.

The BND has also raised eyebrows within Germany’s intelligence community over allegations that it allowed Hanning’s former chief of staff, who is also in custody, to work for Hanning outside his official duties.

While civil servants are generally permitted to take on outside employment, any approval allowing a member of the BND to work for Hanning would have had to be decided at the senior management level, said Günter Heiss, a former intelligence coordinator under former Chancellor Angela Merkel. “Without knowing the details, I would never have approved anything like this had I been in a position of responsibility at the BND.”

Bernd Schmidbauer, a former minister of state and intelligence coordinator under Chancellor Helmut Kohl, told WELT that Hanning had made major contributions to Germany’s national security. The affair was therefore “not only a tragedy for the German intelligence services, but also for the former senior official himself,” Schmidbauer said.

Hanning was among Schmidbauer’s closest aides during the 1990s and went on to lead the BND from 1998 to 2005.

Dirk Banse is an investigative reporter at WELT. Philipp Fritz is WELT’s Eastern Europe correspondent. Uwe Müller is a freelance reporter based in Berlin.

The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network harnesses the resources of the company’s newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet, The Telegraph, and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms: online, print, TV and audio.