Countries in the European Union are worried. They say Russia is stepping up "sabotage"—that means secret attacks meant to break things, create chaos, or scare people.

Because these attacks are happening more often, EU leaders are meeting to talk about a new, stronger response. They want to create a system that works a bit like NATO.

NATO is a group of countries that promises to help each other if one of them is attacked. The EU wants to use that same idea for "hybrid" attacks.

What is a hybrid attack? It is when a country doesn't just use soldiers on a battlefield. Instead, they might use cyberattacks to shut down power plants, spread lies online to cause arguments, or mess with transportation systems. These attacks are sneaky and hard to stop.

Some officials are warning that Europe needs to take a firm stand. Kaja Kallas, who is set to be the EU’s top diplomat, warned that Europe cannot give in to what Russia wants. She says the EU must show strength to keep its people safe.

Right now, the EU is looking at an "emergency protocol." Think of this like a fire alarm system. If one country gets hit by a hybrid attack, the new plan would make it easier for all other EU countries to jump in and help immediately.

Instead of each country trying to handle these digital or secret attacks alone, they want to act as one big team. This way, Russia would know that messing with one country means facing the entire European Union.

Source: Euronews.com