Russian intelligence organises sabotage in Europe to disrupt arms shipments to Ukraine - NYT
Western allies’ intelligence agencies have noticed an increase in the number of minor sabotage operations in Europe, which they say are part of a Russian campaign to undermine support for Ukraine’s military efforts.
This is reported by the New York Times, Censor.NET reports.
What transactions are known about
Among the Russian operations, the NYT names, in particular, the arson attacks on a warehouse in England, a paint factory in Poland, residential buildings in Latvia, and an Ikea store in Lithuania.
There have also been reports of the arrest of Russian agents on charges of preparing attacks on US military bases.
American and European security officials say the moves are part of a concerted effort by Russia to slow down the transfer of weapons to Kyiv and create the appearance of growing opposition to support for Ukraine.
According to officials, this campaign is led by Russia's military intelligence.
Why Russia is conducting a sabotage campaign
The newspaper writes that these actions have not yet interrupted the flow of weapons to Ukraine, and many of the targets are not directly related to the war. But some security officials say Russia is trying to spread fear and force European countries to tighten security along the arms supply chain, which is increasing costs and slowing down the pace of deliveries.
American and European officials have said that Russia is being somewhat cautious with its sabotage. It wants to draw attention to the mysterious fires, but not so much that it is directly accused of these actions.
Russians are recruiting locals in European countries. U.S. and European officials say this is done in part to make the attacks harder to detect and to create the impression that they are the result of domestic opposition to support for Ukraine.
Amid growing concerns about sabotage, NATO ambassadors will meet next month with US Director of National Intelligence Avriya Gaines, who will provide intelligence on Russia's war in Ukraine and discuss Russia's sabotage campaign in Europe.
Earlier it was reported that the Polish special services arrested 9 people suspected of sabotage in favour of Russia
