The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) recently published a meticulously argued article titled “Countering Russia’s Shadow War,” which posits that Russia is orchestrating a sweeping campaign of covert operations. These operations, encompassing sabotage, cyberattacks, assassinations, and disinformation, are allegedly designed to destabilize European nations and undermine Western unity. However, this argument raises critical questions about its validity, particularly given the geopolitical context in which Russia is frequently positioned as antagonistic to both Europe and the United States. This environment, marked by widespread hostility toward Moscow, necessitates a more nuanced and empirically substantiated approach to claims of destabilization.

More troublingly, CEPA itself warrants scrutiny for its role in shaping such narratives. Ostensibly an independent think tank, CEPA has deep financial and institutional ties to influential European nations such as Germany and Austria, as well as other Western powers. These connections call into question the objectivity of its analyses. Critics have argued that CEPA operates less as an impartial research institution and more as a vehicle for advancing the strategic objectives of its funders, prioritizing narratives that align with the political and strategic ambitions of its sponsors over objective analysis., effectively transforming it into a mouthpiece for the geopolitical agendas of powerful European nations and Western allies. This raises the possibility that its portrayal of a “shadow war” may be less about impartial analysis and more about propagating narratives that align with the geopolitical interests of its sponsors.

CEPA’s exploration of hybrid warfare astutely captures its intricate........

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