"What may look like a string of hybrid incidents increasingly resembles a sub-threshold war against Europe, says Olena Davlikanova, a security policy expert."

The phrase 'sub-threshold war against Europe' reframes scattered incidents as part of a novel, systemic threat, creating a sense of unprecedented strategic novelty and urgency that captures attention by suggesting a new category of conflict.

""Russia is waging a war against the European model of freedom, equality, and solidarity, and against the institutions that sustain it, especially the EU. This is a war fought in small steps," says Leopold Schmertzing, а strategic foresight and security and defense policy expert."

This quote frames Russian actions not just as military or geopolitical moves but as an existential, ideologically driven campaign against core European values, elevating the perceived scale and uniqueness of the threat to capture attention.

"says Olena Davlikanova, a security policy expert."

Identifies the speaker with a professional title to lend credibility, but this is standard sourcing and does not over-rely on credentials to shut down debate or substitute for evidence.

""I struggle to see it ending without a fundamental change in either the current Russian model or the European one." Schmertzing argues that, despite Europe contributing far more to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine than it did to earlier conflicts, most Europeans still experience it as a war happening somewhere else."

Schmertzing is cited as a 'strategic foresight and security and defense policy expert,' invoking institutional authority, but the article reports his analysis rather than using his status to override scrutiny. The appeal remains within normal journalistic bounds.

"Russia is waging a war against the European model of freedom, equality, and solidarity, and against the institutions that sustain it, especially the EU."

Draws a sharp ideological boundary between 'Russia' and 'Europe,' casting the conflict as a civilizational clash. This creates a tribal binary: defenders of freedom (Europe) versus an authoritarian adversary (Russia), reinforcing group identity through opposition.

"My fear is that we will only fully wake up when our own capitals are attacked and our citizens are killed. By then, it will be too late to prepare," he added."

Implies that failing to recognize the threat constitutes a failure of European identity and vigilance, subtly pressuring readers to align with a collective 'we' that sees Russia as an imminent danger — dissent risks being seen as naive or disloyal.

"Experts believe Europe is better prepared for a potential confrontation with Russia than it was in 2022, but important gaps remain."

Uses vague plural 'experts' to suggest broad agreement on vulnerability, creating an illusion of consensus without specifying who these experts are or how widely held their views are — a mild form of bot-farm-style consensus signaling.

"My fear is that we will only fully wake up when our own capitals are attacked and our citizens are killed. By then, it will be too late to prepare."

Directly induces fear by projecting future attacks on European capitals and civilian deaths, leveraging emotional urgency to heighten perceived threat beyond what documented events currently justify — no such attacks have occurred, yet the framing suggests inevitability.

"The incidents are raising a broader question: how far Moscow can escalate its pressure on European countries without prompting a direct military response."

Frames ongoing events as part of a ticking escalation ladder, implying that crossing a threshold is imminent, which generates emotional pressure for action even though the actual level of direct threat remains below armed conflict.

"Russia is waging a war against the European model of freedom, equality, and solidarity..."

Positions Europe as the bearer of universal moral values under siege, fostering a sense of righteous victimhood and moral clarity that emotionally reinforces in-group cohesion and out-group condemnation.