Kremlin targets European defense industry in bid to test NATO — The Telegraph
Russia is testing NATO by targeting Europe's weapons industry (photo: Getty Images)
Russia launches new wave of sabotage at European weapons factories by recruiting members of local criminal groups, The Telegraph reports.
According to Western intelligence sources cited by the outlet, Russia has launched a new wave of attacks targeting European weapons factories under a policy of plausible deniability.
The Kremlin is recruiting members of local criminal gangs to sabotage defense manufacturers in an effort to test NATO's resolve. Intelligence officials say the attacks are carefully designed to avoid triggering Article 5, NATO's mutual defense clause.
Arson in Estonia
This week, Latvia detained three of its citizens on suspicion of setting fire to a drone manufacturer in neighboring Estonia. The building of Tallinn-based Milrem Robotics, which supplies weapons to Ukraine, was set on fire on the night of August 15.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said investigators are determining whether the incident was an act of sabotage and whether Russia was involved.
Broader pattern of attacks
The arson at Milrem fits into a broader pattern of sabotage targeting military supply chains supporting Ukraine across NATO territory.
A NATO official notes that Russia has accelerated its destabilization campaigns against the Alliance members in recent years through cyberattacks, assassination attempts and acts of sabotage. The Kremlin's "hybrid war" aims to increase tensions among allies and discourage support for Ukraine.
Explosions have occurred at major weapons manufacturers in Italy and Bulgaria this month alone.
Earlier this year, similar incidents were recorded at factories in the Czech Republic and Lithuania that were working for Ukraine. Italian and Bulgarian officials have sought to play down possible Russian involvement.
How Russia recruits operatives
Russia rarely leaves evidence that would allow attacks to be directly attributed to Moscow. Latvian State Security Service chief Normunds Mežviets says the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) officers do not travel to target countries but remain in Russia.
Instead, they cultivate contacts within criminal groups to act as intermediaries, using messaging apps such as Telegram.
The intermediaries then assign tasks to recruits, who are paid in cryptocurrency and often never learn that they are working for the Russians.
Attempt to sow discord within NATO
The covert nature of the attacks is viewed as a deliberate attempt to sow discord among the allies. Eastern member states, such as Poland and the Baltic countries, have been much more vocal about Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, countries farther west, such as Italy and Germany, have often been reluctant to attribute incidents to Moscow for fear of escalation. According to The Telegraph, the Kremlin is seeking to deepen precisely this divide among the allies.
As previously reported, Estonian authorities already suspect a Russian link to the arson attack at a Milrem Robotics facility, a company that supplies unmanned ground equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal stressed that attempts to intimidate Estonia or force it to stop supporting Ukraine will not succeed.
