RIGA, Oct 16 (LETA) - Russia has recently been carrying out various hybrid attacks against NATO members, testing the alliance's capabilities and response, but avoiding actions that could trigger a full-scale military response, Janis Sarts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence (Stratcom), told LETA.

The most serious incidents, he said, were drone incursions in Poland and a 12-minute violation of Estonian airspace. Russian drones at airports in various European cities are also to be mentioned. According to Sarts, these violations are designed to avoid a full-scale NATO response and are intended to test the Alliance's vulnerability.

Sarts said that Russia does not want to provoke a serious military retaliation with its activities, but leaving such tests unanswered could lead to more such incidents. He noted that NATO has already adjusted its military presence in the region.

He stressed that full airspace security from drone incursions is not possible and that such incidents are high-risk, but that there is no reason to believe that Russia is currently seriously questioning NATO's capabilities. In Sarts' view, the most important question is whether Russia believes in a unified NATO response.

The Stratcom director also pointed out that military logic suggests that Russia may have plans to attack NATO countries, but this is not unusual in itself, as various military scenarios are also being discussed in the West. This does not mean that Russia is going to implement these plans, as decisions are also influenced by NATO's readiness to respond, the US position and other geopolitical factors.

According to Sarts, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet sent combat drones to any NATO member state, and NATO's existence would only be threatened if an invasion of a NATO country was not followed by a response.

He added that Putin's rhetoric about the absurdity of attacking a NATO country does not reflect reality, as Russia continues to test the Alliance's capabilities by trying to pretend to be militarily stronger than it actually is.