European intelligence agencies have issued a stark warning, accusing Russia of plotting violent acts of sabotage across the continent as the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate.
The agencies have alerted their governments that Russia has already begun to more actively prepare covert bombings, arson attacks, and damage to infrastructure on European soil, both directly and through proxies.
The intelligence officials have emphasized that Russian forces have little to no regard for civilian lives while conducting such operations. This assessment was conducted by the intelligence officials of three European nations, who have deemed the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be outstandingly increased.
Putin (Credits: Al Jazeera)
Thomas Haldenwang, head of German domestic intelligence, stated, “Russia now seems comfortable carrying out operations on European soil [with] a high potential for damage.”
This warning came just days after two German-Russian nationals were arrested in Bayreuth, Bavaria, for allegedly plotting to attack military and logistics sites in Germany on behalf of the Kremlin.
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, two men were charged with starting a fire at a warehouse containing aid shipments for Ukraine, with prosecutors accusing them of working for the Russian government.
In Sweden, security services are investigating a series of railway derailment incidents, and in Estonia, the country’s Internal Security Service alleged that the attack on the interior minister’s car in February was perpetrated by Russian intelligence operatives.
Russia was accused of attempting to destroy the signaling systems on Czech railways by the European nation’s transportation minister. Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, noted, “The obvious conclusion is that there has been a real stepping up of Russian activity…
Vladimir Putin (Credits: Al Jazeera)
One cannot tell if that’s a reflection of the fact that the Russians are throwing more resources at it; whether they are being more sloppy and getting caught; or whether western counter-intelligence has simply become better at detecting and stopping it.”
In response to these growing concerns, NATO issued a statement expressing its deep concern about growing “malign activities on allied territory” by Russia, citing an “intensifying campaign… across the Euro-Atlantic area.”
A senior European government official revealed that the information about Russia’s malicious activities was being shared through NATO security services, emphasizing the need to “raise awareness and focus” about the threat of Russian violence on European soil.
