According to their data, Moscow plans to use its agents and proxies to organize explosions, arson and damage to EU infrastructure. By the way, the Russians are practically not worried about possible civilian casualties.
Representatives of the three EU member states stated that Russian special services have previously conducted similar operations in Europe, but are now ready to act in a more coordinated and aggressive manner.
“We believe that the risk of Russian-controlled sabotage has increased significantly,” said Thomas Haldenwang, head of Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. According to him, Russia feels “comfortable carrying out operations with a high potential for damage on the territory of the EU.” Haldenwang’s comments came after two suspected Russian agents were arrested in Germany for planning attacks on German military and logistics facilities.
At the end of April, two men were charged in the United Kingdom (UK) for setting fire to a warehouse where humanitarian aid for Ukraine was stored. According to the UK Public Prosecutor’s Office, they worked for the Russian authorities.
Several railway accidents are under investigation in Sweden. The country’s law enforcement believes that Russia may be responsible for the sabotage. In turn, the Czech Minister of Transport told The Financial Times that Russian agents tried to destroy the signaling systems installed on the railways. The French Ministry of Defense also warned of possible Russian sabotage against military facilities.
“It is clear that Russian intelligence has become more active recently. It is not clear whether this is related to the fact that the Russians have begun to devote more resources to sabotage, or to the fact that agents are less careful and often get caught. Perhaps Western counterintelligence has started to work better,” Keir Giles, chief researcher at the Chatham House think tank, told the newspaper.
According to a high-ranking European official, it is time to “show vigilance and focus” on the potential threats posed by the Russian Federation (RF). Last Thursday, May 2, NATO issued a statement expressing its concerns about the increased incidence of Russian “malign activity on Alliance territory.”
In addition to fears of potential sabotage, Russia has also been accused of masterminding large-scale hacking and disinformation campaigns. After announcing the hacking of the servers of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, which is owned by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany promised that Moscow would respond.
Another intelligence representative said that Moscow’s actions should not be viewed in isolation, as Russia’s goals are to apply maximum pressure “in all directions.” According to him, Vladimir Putin is feeling “emboldened” and will try to find ways to do maximum damage on several fronts, whether it’s disinformation campaigns, sabotage or hacker attacks.
Russia’s increased intelligence aggression also reflects a desire to rehabilitate itself after its worst setback since the collapse of the USSR. In the weeks following the invasion of Ukraine, more than 600 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover were identified in Europe.
Britain’s Royal Joint Defense Research Institute recently published a report noting that Moscow is trying again to insert agents in Europe, using diasporas and organized crime groups.
