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Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has rejected accusations from European governments that Moscow is waging a hybrid war against Europe, telling a briefing in Moscow on Monday, November 2, 2026, that Russia has no intention of attacking any European country.
Shoigu, who served as Russia's defence minister from 2012 to 2024 before President Vladimir Putin moved him to the Security Council, spoke at the opening of the International Week "Peoples of Russia" in Moscow. He said Putin had stated three or four times in the past two months that Russia would not attack Europe, yet European capitals continued to insist Moscow was waging a hybrid war against them.
In remarks that drew the sharpest reaction, Shoigu warned Europeans against provoking Moscow, saying they should live peacefully and not attack Russia, and adding that, God forbid, they should ever live to see the day Russia actually began waging a hybrid war against them. He said Russia was not going to attack anyone.
Shoigu accused Western governments of constantly portraying Moscow as an enemy, arguing that they need an adversary to explain their own security policies. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied hostile intentions toward Europe, even as tensions over the war in Ukraine remain high.
European officials, by contrast, point to a pattern of incidents they attribute to Russia, including cyberattacks, sabotage, drone incursions and airspace violations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has described such incidents as hybrid warfare, saying they form a worrying pattern rather than random harassment, and that Russia wants to sow division across the bloc.
The remarks came as preparations continue for planned United States-Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi, expected in the second half of November. Shoigu said Europe's representation at those talks remained undecided and required discussion among the three parties, with the delegations likely to remain unchanged.