Press
Russia is waging a hidden war in Europe: sabotage actions are intended to disrupt the delivery of military aid to Ukraine.
Moscow – The Russian secret services are apparently planning to intensify their sabotage activities on European soil. This is according to a report by New York Times based on information from US and Western intelligence services. The aim of these actions is, among other things, to disrupt military support for Ukraine. It is reported that the number of small-scale acts of sabotage in Europe is increasing.
The acts of sabotage mainly take the form of arson or attempted arson. A warehouse in England, a paint factory in Poland and even an Ikea store in Lithuania have been affected so far. Although the attacks appear random and unrelated, the US and European intelligence services are certain that this is a coordinated action behind which the Russian military intelligence plugged.
Russia aims to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine
So far, the supply of weapons, ammunition and other military equipment to Kiev has not been directly affected in the Ukraine war. However, the secret services have identified another Russian goal: the sabotage actions are intended to create the impression that resistance to arms deliveries to Ukraine is growing. In addition, the actions are intended to slow down the speed of deliveries and get Ukraine’s allies to spend more money on their security – money that will then be missing elsewhere. Moscow wants to be so subtle with these actions that the Kremlin is not immediately suspected. Locals are also to be recruited to make it more difficult to trace control from Russia.
“Russia’s strategy is one of divide and rule,” Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former US intelligence official, told New York TimesShe stressed the importance of the United States and its allies developing a common response to Russia’s actions over time.
Developing such a response could be complicated, however. “We are in a very delicate situation because the situation is already tense, the Kremlin is already paranoid,” warned Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, in the NYT. “Western leaders must therefore be very cautious in their response.”
Sabotage on Putin’s behalf: There were also arrests in Germany
In mid-April, two people were arrested in Germany who were alleged to have planned acts of sabotage on behalf of Russia. “Our security authorities have prevented possible bomb attacks that were intended to hit and undermine our military aid to Ukraine,” said Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser at the time. “This is a particularly serious case of suspected spying for Putin’s criminal regime. We will continue to thwart such threatening plans.” The two men are alleged to have spied on US military bases and planned attacks on military transport routes. On Monday (May 27), a former Bundeswehr officer was also sentenced to three and a half years in prison for being a Russian spy.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas recently spoke of a “shadow war” by Russia against Europe. NATO accuses Russia of “malicious activities” and “acts of violence” in its member states.
In Poland, one of Ukraine’s main supporters, a commission is to investigate the possible influence of Russian and Belarusian secret services over the past 20 years. This was announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw on May 20. Tusk also announced that 12 people had been arrested in Poland who had committed arson and acts of violence on Russia’s orders.
Sweden warns of underwater sabotage by Russia in the Baltic Sea
Sweden, the youngest member of NATO, is warning in particular about Russia’s ambitions for power in the Baltic Sea, rather than about attempts to prevent military support for Ukraine. Russia could cause an environmental disaster “right on our doorstep and make it look like an accident” by using old oil tankers, warned the commander-in-chief of the Swedish armed forces, Micael Biden, in an interview with the Editorial Network GermanyThe potential consequences would be “devastating.”
Biden added that Russia could also use these ships in other ways for war operations against NATO. “There is no better way for Russia to sneak up on us than by disguising itself as an old oil tanker. They can use the ships to listen in on our communications, secretly transport something or use them for underwater sabotage.” (lrg/dpa)
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