Finnish ex-intelligence chief Pekka Toveri advocates for proactive European offensive cyber operations against Russia, including disabling software used by Putin and Russian oligarchs to impose economic and technological costs.

On December 2, 2025, Pekka Toveri, former head of Finnish military intelligence and now a European Parliament member, publicly called for Europe to escalate its hybrid warfare tactics against Russia by conducting offensive cyber operations. He highlighted Europe's superior cyber capabilities and argued that rather than only reacting to Russian cyberattacks, Europe should proactively target vulnerabilities such as illegal software use by Russian government computers and the software controlling luxury vehicles and agricultural machinery linked to Russian elites. Toveri emphasized the potential to remotely disable these assets, thereby hitting Putin and his circle economically and symbolically. He also supported expanding information campaigns to counter Russian disinformation both within Russia and Europe. While cautioning against actions that could escalate nuclear threats or cause civilian harm, Toveri advocated targeting oligarchs and Kremlin supporters differently. European countries like Denmark and Czechia have already authorized offensive cyber missions, although these are covert. The article also mentions Russia's reliance on stolen Western technology making it susceptible to such attacks, and notes the strategic importance of matching Russia's hybrid tactics with similar measures. The piece underscores a growing political debate in Europe about shifting from defensive to offensive cyber and hybrid warfare against Russia.