"Shadow War": Russia intensifies sabotage in Europe to reduce military aid to Ukraine

Western intelligence sees an increase in low-level sabotage operations in Europe, which they believe are part of a Russian campaign to undermine military support for Ukraine.

Here's What We Know

The Russian military intelligence agency known as the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) has recently seen an increase in its activities in Europe. According to security officials, the GRU has been behind a series of arson attacks aimed at undermining military aid to Ukraine.

US and European security officials have reported an increase in sabotage operations, which they believe are part of Russia's strategy to slow down the supply of weapons to Ukraine. These actions include arson attacks or attempted arson attacks on warehouses in England, factories in Poland, homes in Latvia and, surprisingly, Ikea stores in Lithuania.

However, in addition to this, people accused of working with Russian intelligence have also been arrested on suspicion of plotting attacks on US military bases. While the individual actions may seem random, U.S. and European officials claim that they are part of a planned strategy by Russia to slow down the flow of weapons to Ukraine and create the impression of European "opposition" or "fatigue" in supporting Ukraine.

According to the NYT, the actions of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate have not yet affected the flow of weapons to Ukraine. But some security officials explain that Russia is seeking to spread fear and force European countries to tighten security along the entire arms supply chain, which increases costs and slows down the pace of delivery.

European leaders have warned of the growing threat. For example, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has said that Russia is waging a "shadow war" against Europe. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the arrest of 12 people accused of "beating, arson and attempted arson". And Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre declared a real and serious threat from Russia after his country received warnings of possible attacks on arms factories.

Source: The New York Times