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Security services say a wave of fires and attacks on infrastructure could be part of Russia's systematic effort to destabilize the continent.
Security services across Europe are on alert for a potential new weapon of Russia's war - arson and sabotage - following a spate of mysterious fires and attacks on infrastructure in the Baltics, Germany and the UK.
When a fire broke out at Ikea in Vilnius, Lithuania this month, few noticed until the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, suggested it might have been the work of a foreign saboteur.
Investigators have already alleged possible Russian involvement in an arson attack in east London, an inferno that destroyed Poland's largest shopping mall, a sabotage attempt in Germany's Bavaria and anti-Semitic graffiti in Paris.
While there is no evidence that any of these incidents across the continent are coordinated, security services believe they may be part of a systematic effort by Moscow to destabilize the West, which has supported Ukraine.
They point out that after the Cold War, foreign intelligence operations consisted of spies and their handlers, but in the age of social media, vandals can be hired, leaving little connection to other attackers, as saboteurs paid some. hundreds of euros or in cryptocurrency.
Such is the growing concern that these hybrid attacks could be the work of Russia that the issue was raised at a summit of foreign and defense ministers in Brussels this week with Dutch, Estonian and Lithuanian security officials all warning of vulnerabilities. national.
One minister, who asked not to be named, said they were deeply concerned about "sabotage, physical sabotage, organized, financed and carried out by Russian proxies.
Last week, Tusk revealed that Polish authorities had arrested nine people in connection with acts of sabotage allegedly carried out at the behest of Russian services.
He said the crimes allegedly included "beatings, arson and attempted arson" with investigators looking into whether Russia was involved in the Warsaw mall fire, a claim the Russian embassy described as a conspiracy theory.
An Ikea spokesman said investigations were continuing into the source of the fire in Lithuania, but it was among the examples, along with an attempted arson attack at a paint factory in Poland, that Tusk cited in his warning about possible foreign interference.
In April, a Briton was charged with orchestrating an arson attack on two units linked to a Ukrainian businessman on an industrial estate in Leyton, east London, after allegedly being recruited by Russian intelligence. The Crown Prosecution Service alleged that he was "engaged in conduct aimed at businesses that were connected to Ukraine in order to benefit the Russian state".
On Tuesday, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, in Brussels for an EU defense summit, said the country had already been a victim of Russian sabotage.
"They have carried out similar operations in Estonia. They hired 10 people to attack the interior minister's car and a journalist's car. This is normal behavior of Russia. We are sorry to say, but we have to understand that Russia is increasingly aggressive towards European countries and also NATO countries," he said.
He was referring to incidents in February when the windows of cars belonging to the interior minister, Lauri Läänemets, and a journalist were smashed.
Six people were arrested soon after, including Russian nationals and dual Russian-Estonian nationals, the prosecutor said.
In Germany, there are also suspicions of attacks fueled by foreign intelligence, in addition to a wave of cyberattacks in 2023 by a hacker group linked to Russian intelligence.
Last month, two German-Russian nationals were arrested on suspicion of planning sabotage attacks, including at a military base in Bavaria. The main suspect has been accused of planning an explosion, arson and maintaining contacts with Russian intelligence./ The Guardian
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