October 6, 2025

Information Cutoff: 12:45 pm ET

Jennie Olmsted, Christina Harward, Justin Young, Ian Matthews, and George Barros with Veronica Iredale

Russia appears to be accelerating the informational and psychological condition setting phase — “Phase 0” — of its campaign to prepare for a possible NATO-Russia war in the future. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed on October 6 that the United Kingdom (UK) is planning for a group of pro-Ukrainian Russians fighting for Ukraine to conduct an attack on a Ukrainian Navy ship or a foreign civilian vessel in a European port. The SVR claimed that the saboteurs will claim they were acting on orders from Moscow and that the UK plans to equip the group with Chinese-made underwater equipment in order to blame the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The SVR’s October 6 claim follow similar SVR false flag claims targeting European states, such as Poland, Moldova, and Serbia, and the SVR has been issuing such statements more frequently in recent weeks that constitute a new concerted pattern of activity.

Russia appears to be conducting concerted preparations as part of the physical and psychological condition-setting phase for war contingencies. Russia has been engaged in a variety of overt and covert attacks against NATO states, such as sabotage missions, electronic warfare (EW) interference, GPS jamming, and arson, in recent years. Russia has dramatically increased these attacks on NATO states in recent weeks since Fall 2025 — most notably with the drone incursions into NATO airspace. This pattern of organized activity suggests that Russia has entered the first phase of preparations — “Phase 0” — to move to a higher level of war than the one Russia is currently engaged in, such as a future NATO-Russia war. ISW is not assessing at this time whether the Kremlin has decided to engage in such a higher level of war or on what timeline the Kremlin may expect to do so. Russia has been undertaking longer-term plans that ISW assesses may be part of preparation for a NATO-Russia war in the future, such as the restructuring of Russia’s military districts on its western border and the buildup of military bases on the border with Finland. ISW has not observed indicators that Russia is actively preparing for an imminent conflict with NATO at this time.

Russia’s overt and covert attacks and false flag claims serve multiple purposes for Moscow both internationally and at home. Russia aims to create fear throughout the European population and fragment NATO’s resolve. The wide range in the type and location of the attacks and false flag claims aims to foster a sense that the threat of violence is pervasive throughout all of Europe. Russia aims to use fear in Europe to gain concessions in its war against Ukraine and a possible future NATO-Russia war. Russia is trying to push Europeans to decrease their support of Ukraine out of fear that continued support will increase Russia’s overt or covert attacks. Russia is also trying to push Europe to decrease or cease its ongoing efforts to shore up its defenses out of fear that these efforts will provoke Russian attacks. These efforts are part of Russia’s wider reflexive control campaign that aims to push Russia’s opponents to make policy decisions that actually benefit Russia. The Kremlin’s use of the SVR’s repeated false flag claims aims to affect the Russian population’s views of the West, framing Western actors — not Russia — as responsible for attacks or threat of attacks. The Kremlin is setting conditions to justify and rally public support for any possible future Russian aggression against NATO.

• Russia appears to be accelerating the informational and psychological condition setting phase — "Phase 0" — of its campaign to prepare for a possible NATO-Russia war in the future.

• European officials continue to report drone sightings in European airspace. 

• German officials attributed recent drone flights over the Munich Airport to Russia.

• The Kremlin continues to deny responsibility for recent drone incursions into NATO airspace.

• Russian forces conducted a fiber optic first-person view (FPV) drone strike for the first time against Kramatorsk on October 5 — furthering Russian efforts to disrupt Ukrainian logistics within and near the fortress belt in Donetsk Oblast.

• Ukraine continues to conduct long-range drone strikes against Russian defense industrial enterprises and oil refineries.

• Russian forces conducted a series of drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of October 5 to 6, striking a maternity hospital.

• The Ukrainian military continues to transition to a corps structure.

• Ukrainian forces advanced in northern Sumy Oblast, the Dobropillya tactical area, and near Lyman. Russian forces advanced in the Dobropillya tactical area and near Velykyi Burluk, Kupyansk, Siversk, and Pokrovsk.

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