“Energy as a Tool of Hybrid Warfare”

By Michael Ruehle and Julijus Grubliauskas

Introduction: energy lessons

The Ukraine crisis offers some important energy security lessons: when it comes to the energy, geography still destiny. Pipelines still mean both economic and political power. The struggle between Moscow and Kiev over the price of gas is more instructive in this regard than a thousand economy textbooks. The Ukraine crisis was also a reminder that energy security is integral part of national security; that interdependence between the producers and the consumer will not encourage stability, as long as the producer can go longer without revenue than the consumer can without gas. But there more. To destabilise the Ukraine, Russia applied a combination of military, semi- military and strategic communication tools. But it also managed to integrate energy (via the expropriation of Ukrainian energy assets and pressure on gas prices) into this strategy. Hence if NATO wants to be serious about concerning "hybrid threats", it must include energy in the equation. This will require NATO to enhance discussions on the security implications of energy issues, and step up Allied political dialogue and strategic analysis in line with the emerging environment.

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