About the episode
Russia's hybrid warfare tactics represent one of the most significant security challenges facing democracies today. Operating in gray zones below the threshold of conventional warfare, these threats blend disinformation, cyber attacks, economic pressure, and covert operations to destabilize nations.
In this edition of the Osavul Launch & Learn sessions, we examine practical strategies nations can implement to deter hybrid threats before escalation becomes inevitable.
Our guest, Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarūnas, brings firsthand experience from Lithuania— one of the frontline states in countering Russian hybrid operations. As a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and former Lithuanian Ambassador to the UK, Russia, and Sweden, he offers invaluable insights into building resilience and effective deterrence.
This conversation draws from Ambassador Bajarūnas's comprehensive CEPA report, "The Hybrid Threat Imperative: Deterring Russia Before It Is Too Late," which examines how democratic nations can build resilience and implement deterrence strategies against hybrid warfare.
Key topics
- Understanding hybrid threats and gray zones – What makes hybrid warfare so difficult to counter and why traditional defense mechanisms fall short.
- Lithuania's experience – Real-world strategies Lithuania has used to counter Russian hybrid operations, from institutional reforms to cross-sector coordination.
- Practical deterrence measures – Actionable frameworks including legal responses, media literacy initiatives, international collaboration, and the importance of imposing costs on aggressors.
- Building resilience – How governments can organize effectively to manage hybrid threats through deterrence by denial and deterrence by punishment.
Ambassador Bajarūnas emphasizes that nations must adapt quickly, share knowledge internationally, and implement coordinated responses to safeguard their sovereignty against evolving hybrid tactics.
Meet Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarūnas
Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarūnas is a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), specializing in hybrid threats and Baltic security.
His diplomatic career includes serving as Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Russia, and Sweden; Deputy Ambassador at Lithuania's Mission to NATO; and Ambassador-at-Large for Hybrid Threats. He also served as Diplomatic Adviser to the President of Lithuania.
He holds a Master of Arts in War Studies from King's College London and is the author of numerous publications on Russia's foreign policy, hybrid threats, and Baltic security.
Watch the full conversation below.
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