Europe is on high alert. Russia plots major sabotage campaign
Intelligence agencies have issued warnings that Russia is plotting acts of sabotage throughout Europe. According to expert analyses, Kremlin agents are in the stages of preparing bombings, arson, and strikes on crucial infrastructure. This threat looms over all nations not aligned with Moscow, as reported by the Financial Times.
7:46 AM EDT, May 6, 2024
European intelligence bodies have alerted their governments about Russia's plans for aggressive sabotage across the continent, stemming from an enduring conflict with the West.
Russia is stepping up efforts to orchestrate covert bombings, arson, and the destruction of vital infrastructure in Europe, acting directly or through intermediaries, with apparent disregard for civilian lives.
While Kremlin operatives have a lengthy record of such undertakings and have intermittently executed attacks in Europe over recent years, evidence collated by three European nations and shared with the Financial Times indicates a shift towards a more forceful and collective campaign.
"We assess the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be significantly increased," according to Thomas Haldenwang, chief of Germany's domestic intelligence service.
With growing audacity, Russia is engaging in assaults on European territories "with high potential for damage," Haldenwang conveyed during a security conference organized by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which he leads.
Have Russian operatives already commenced operations in Europe?
Haldenwang's comments came shortly after the arrest in Bayreuth, Bavaria, of two German-Russian citizens under suspicion of planning attacks on military and logistical sites in Germany on Russia's behalf.
In late April, in Great Britain, two individuals were accused of igniting a blaze in a warehouse storing aid for Ukraine, with British prosecutors alleging collaboration with Russian intelligence.
In Sweden, authorities are probing a sequence of recent rail derailments, suspecting acts of sabotage. "Russia is trying to sabotage European railways," the Czech transport minister declared last month.
A senior European government official disclosed that NATO's security channels have communicated that there is clear and compelling evidence of Russian operations, characterized by their coordination and grand scale.
He emphasized the urgency of heightening awareness and concentrating on the menace of Russian aggression on European soil.
