UK, Germany Join Forces Against Cyberattacks, Sabotage Amid Rising Hybrid Threat

Britain and Germany are set to launch a new partnership aimed at tackling cyberattacks, sabotage and other forms of hybrid threats, as their leaders meet in Berlin on Thursday.

The agreement is expected to focus on sharing intelligence and coordinating efforts to monitor, deter and disrupt threats targeting critical infrastructure, including those carried out through cyber operations or acts of sabotage.

The partnership comes as both countries raise concerns over what they describe as growing hybrid threats from Russia across Europe and beyond.

The UK government has identified Russia as a particular concern, with British ministers expected to brief defence companies and operators of critical national infrastructure on the potential risks posed by hostile activity.

Germany Warns of Growing Russian Threat

Germany’s intelligence chief also warned earlier this week that the security environment involving Russia had entered a more dangerous phase.

He said the confrontation with Moscow had “taken on a new, more dangerous dimension”, underscoring growing concerns over activities below the threshold of conventional warfare.

The latest UK-Germany initiative is intended to strengthen cooperation on identifying and responding to such threats, particularly those targeting essential infrastructure and digital networks.

Drone Incident Adds to Security Concerns

The move also follows a recent incident at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport.

Last month, German authorities said they had concluded that Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at the airport in August.

The incident has added to concerns in Europe over the use of cyber operations, sabotage, drones and other covert methods as part of broader hybrid activity.

The new British-German partnership is expected to provide a framework for closer coordination as both countries seek to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure against such threats.