Financial Times: Russia is plotting sabotage across Europe. Russia has begun to more actively prepare covert bombings, arson attacks and damage to infrastructure on European soil, directly and via proxies, with little apparent concern about causing civilian fatalities intelligence officials believe

7 comments

1. and when was russia concerned about causing civilian casualties?

2. [Full article:](https://www.ft.com/content/c88509f9-c9bd-46f4-8a5c-9b2bdd3c3dd3)

   European intelligence agencies have warned their governments that Russia is
   plotting violent acts of sabotage across the continent as it commits to a course of
   permanent conflict with the west.

   Russia has already begun to more actively prepare covert bombings, arson attacks
   and damage to infrastructure on European soil, directly and via proxies, with little
   apparent concern about causing civilian fatalities, intelligence officials believe.

   While the Kremlin’s agents have a long history of such operations — and launched
   attacks sporadically in Europe in recent years — evidence is mounting of a more
   aggressive and concerted effort, according to assessments from three different
   European countries shared with the Financial Times.

   Intelligence officials are becoming increasingly vocal about the threat in an effort
   to promote vigilance.

   “We assess the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be significantly
   increased,” said Thomas Haldenwang, head of German domestic intelligence.
   Russia now seems comfortable carrying out operations on European soil “[with] a
   high potential for damage,” he told a security conference last month hosted by his
   agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

   Haldenwang spoke just days after two German-Russian nationals were arrested in
   Bayreuth, Bavaria, for allegedly plotting to attack military and logistics sites in
   Germany on behalf of Russia.

   Two men were charged in the UK in late April with having started a fire at a
   warehouse containing aid shipments for Ukraine. English prosecutors accuse them
   of working for the Russian government.

   In Sweden, security services are meanwhile investigating a series of recent railway
   derailments, which they suspect may be acts of state-backed sabotage.

   Russia has attempted to destroy the signalling systems on Czech railways, the
   country’s transport minister told the FT last month.

   In Estonia, an attack on the interior minister’s car in February and those of
   journalists were perpetrated by Russian intelligence operatives, the country’s
   Internal Security Service has said. France’s ministry of defence also warned this
   year of possible sabotage attacks by Russia on military sites.

   “The obvious conclusion is that there has been a real stepping up of Russian
   activity,” said Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, the thinktank.

   “One cannot tell if that’s a reflection of the fact that the Russians are throwing
   more resources at it; whether they are being more sloppy and getting caught; or
   whether western counter-intelligence has simply become better at detecting and
   stopping it,” he added. “Whatever it is though — there is a lot going on.

   One senior European government official said information was being shared
   through Nato security services of “clear and convincing Russian mischief”, which
   was co-ordinated and at scale.

   The time had come to “raise awareness and focus” about the threat of Russian
   violence on European soil, he added.

   Nato issued a statement on Thursday declaring its deep concern about growing
   “malign activities on allied territory” by Russia, citing what it said was an
   “intensifying campaign . . . across the Euro-Atlantic area”.

   The growing fears over Russia’s appetite for physical damage against its
   adversaries follow a spate of accusations against Russia over disinformation and
   hacking campaigns.

   On Friday, Germany vowed consequences for Moscow — in a statement backed by
   the EU and Nato — over a 2023 hacking attack on the social democratic party of
   chancellor Olaf Scholz.

   A scandal exposing Russian attempts to co-opt far right European politicians
   ahead of upcoming European elections is meanwhile still unfolding.

   One intelligence official said Moscow’s sabotage efforts should not be seen as a
   distinct from other operations, saying the ramp-up in activity reflected Russia’s
   aim to exert maximum pressure “across the piece”.

   Putin is currently feeling “emboldened” and will seek to push lines as hard as he
   can in Europe, on multiple fronts, he said, whether through disinformation,
   sabotage or hacking.

   Increased aggression from Russian intelligence also reflects the desire for the
   country’s spymasters to reassert themselves after their most serious setback since
   the collapse of the Soviet Union.

   In the weeks following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 600
   Russian intelligence officers operating in Europe with diplomatic cover were
   ejected, dealing serious damage to the Kremlin’s spy network across the continent.

   In a recent report, analysts at the UK’s Royal United Services Institute highlighted
   the efforts to which Russia had gone to reconstitute its presence in Europe, often
   using proxies. Those include members of the Russian diaspora as well as organised
   crime groups with which the Kremlin has long-standing ties.

   A key strategic shift has also occurred, with so-called “Committees of Special
   Influence” coordinating intelligence operations country-by-country for the
   Kremlin, drawing together what were previously piecemeal efforts by the country’s
   fractious security services and other Kremlin players.

   With Russia’s stepping up operations, security services have been on high alert
   over threats and are looking to identify targets they may have missed.

   Questions have been raised, for instance, over a so-far unexplained explosion at a
   BAE Systems munitions factory in Wales that supplies shells used by Ukraine. In
   October 2014 a Czech arms depot where weapons for Kyiv were being stored was
   destroyed; Russian military intelligence agents were later revealed to have planted
   explosives at the site.

   A huge fire broke out on Friday at a factory in Berlin owned by the arms company
   Diehl, which also supplies Ukraine. More than 160 specialist firefighters were
   called to tackle the blaze, with residents in a huge swath of the west of the capital
   told to keep windows closed due to possible toxic fumes.

   “As ever with Russia, it’s wise not to look for a single explanation of why they are
   doing anything. There’s always a combination of things going on,” said Giles.

   “These pinprick attacks we’ve seen so far are of course to create disruption, but
   they can also be used for disinformation. And then there is what Russia learns
   from these attacks if they want to immobilise Europe for real . . . They’re practice
   runs.”

3. Global War on Terror 2.0 coming up. And this time they really do have WMDs.

4. The sooner we realise Russia is actually at war with the whole Europe (and all free democracies )the better

5. Terrorist attacks, thats what they are.

6. Start with decreasing ALL acces for ruZZian “diplomats”. There is no need for a bigger staff than 10 plus the ambassador in any european country. Just send the rest home.

   Start monitoring ALL incoming and outgoing traffic to alla moscovian ambassies, both physical and digital.

   But most importantly start to sentance ANY moscovian to the hardest possible sentances IF they set a foot wrong near any security objekt (military or civilian). Treat any ruZZian (either ethnic or citizen) as spies even if they just by accident enters military or security objekts. Fly a drone over a military base and get sentanced to prison AND subsequent deportation. Make it come at a cost to colaborate with the enemy.

   Close all boarders between the civiliced world and moscovia as long as they invade Ukraine and that includes Kaliningrad. Dismantle the railroad between moscovia proper and Kaliningrad if possible and if not make it to expensive to use it. I.e charge a lot to pass Lithuanian territory.

7. Treat them as spies when caught and have them shot. We may be democratic but we are not fools to the russian government!