(MENAFN) NATO's highest-ranking military officer has called for alliance members to adopt more confrontational tactics against Russia, including potential preemptive operations.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who chairs the NATO Military Committee, revealed in an interview released Sunday that member nations are exploring responses to what he characterized as Russia's "hybrid war."

"We are studying everything … being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about," Dragone said.

The admiral further indicated that a "pre-emptive strike" could be considered a "defensive action," though it would be "further away from our normal way of thinking and behavior."

Media reported that Eastern European diplomats have been particularly insistent on implementing harsher countermeasures against Russia, including offensive cyber retaliation. Yet Dragone acknowledged that NATO's response mechanisms face limitations stemming from legal frameworks, ethical considerations, and jurisdictional boundaries.

Last September, NATO expanded aerial surveillance missions across Eastern Europe and Baltic territories, citing purported Russian airspace incursions. The Kremlin has categorically denied accusations that its aircraft or unmanned systems violated the bloc's airspace, instead accusing NATO of stoking military tensions.

Media disclosed last week that NATO is also weighing coordinated offensive cyber campaigns targeting Moscow.

Russia has rejected allegations of infiltrating Western networks, asserting it has been subjected to repeated cyberattacks, some openly attributed to pro-Ukrainian organizations.

Russian Ambassador to Belgium Denis Gonchar stated last week that NATO countries were engaged in "rampant militarization" of the European continent while falsely claiming to counter Russia's "non-existent" plans to attack them.

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