In the offices of the intelligence services of several European countries, the list of criminal acts whose perpetrators are linked to Russia has grown dangerously since the start of the war in Ukraine. And with it grows the threat of large-scale Russian sabotage on the territory of the European Union. The British newspaper Financial Times reveals, this Sunday, May 5, having had access to reports from at least three intelligence services of European countries, these reporting an intensification of Russian attempts to carry out bomb attacks, arson or even damage on the continent’s infrastructure.
These attempts are carried out through proxies, and “with little concern” for the consequences on civilians, reflecting a more aggressive and organized effort against Europe, according to government sources cited by THE Financial Times.
Sweden, Estonia and the United Kingdom sound the alert
“We believe that the risk of acts of sabotage controlled by the Russian state is considerably increased,” Thomas Haldenwang, head of German domestic intelligence, reportedly declared last month during a security conference organized by his agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a few days after the arrest of two German-Russians in Bavaria. They allegedly plotted to attack military and logistics sites in Germany on behalf of Russia. Friday May 3, a huge fire also broke out in a factory in Berlin, belonging to the arms company Diehl, which also supplies Ukraine, without being linked to Russian activity for the moment.
Germany is not the only one to sound the alarm. NATO issued a statement on Thursday expressing deep concern over the rise in “malicious activities” by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, citing what it sees as a “campaign of escalation across the Euro-Atlantic area.” . Across Europe, alerts are being issued concerning attacks carried out by those linked to Russia, suggesting that a destabilization operation is already underway.
In late April, two men were charged in the United Kingdom for starting a fire in a warehouse containing humanitarian supplies destined for Ukraine. English prosecutors accuse them of working for the Russian government. In Sweden, security services are investigating a series of recent train derailments caused by sabotage of railway signaling, suspected by the transport minister of being Russian state-sponsored sabotage.
According to Estonia’s internal security, an attack on the interior minister’s car and those of journalists in February was allegedly carried out by Russian intelligence agents, says the Financial Times. The French Defense Ministry also warned this year of possible sabotage attacks by Russia on military sites.
“This is just training for Russia”
In addition to physical threats, the increase in virtual attacks which take the form of disinformation or large-scale hacking campaigns worries European authorities. On Friday May 3, Germany promised consequences for Moscow – in a statement supported by the EU and NATO – following a computer attack in 2023 against the social democratic party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
These sabotages, whatever their form, have several goals, according to Keir Giles, a specialist in the Russian army interviewed by the British media: to destabilize States, create disinformation, but also to “learn from these attacks” in the perspective, one day, to “really immobilize Europe”. “It’s just training for them,” he warns.