According to European and American safety officials, these actions are part of Moscow's coordinated efforts to hold arms shipments to Ukraine. Russia wants to spread fear and force the countries of the North Atlantic alliance to tighten safety measures in the supply chain for Kiev, which will increase their costs and hold transport. Putin's government aims to intimidate Europeans into expanding opposition to Ukraine's assistance. "Russia is at war on shadows against Europe" warns Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas. Minister for Defence of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren She said: “We are susceptible to assassinations. We have key infrastructure. We have seabed infrastructure, we have electricity and water supply. Russia is trying to destabilize and intimidate us."
They have time for Europe
Sabotage operations are conducted by Russian military intelligence GRU. After the Putinist invasion of Ukraine, the structure of GRUs in NATO was mostly broken, the Western countries threw out many Russian officers. While Russia suffered defeats in Ukraine, it was primarily occupied with the situation on the front. In fresh months, however, the Moskal armies have been successful, so the GRU could shed more resources to make confusion in Europe.
Moscow agents usually don't set fires with their own hands, but they hire local criminals and people with Russian roots. They frequently find volunteers on social media and pay respective 100 euros, sometimes in cryptocurrency, to start a fire.
The Helplessness of the West
The series of acts of sabotage began on March 21, erstwhile a London warehouse linked to aid supplies to Kiev was set on fire. On April 15, a large fire broke out in a late upgraded ammunition mill in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where, among others, 155 mm-caliber artillery shells are manufactured from the Ukrainian army. 2 days later, there was an detonation in BAE Systems' military production facilities in Glascoed, Wales. On April 18, German services reported that 2 alleged saboteurs, citizens of the German national Republic of Russian origin, were arrested in Bayreuth, Bavaria, were preparing attacks on transport and US military bases. 1 of the detainees, 39-year-old Dieter S., was besides accused of serving in pro-Russian separatist troops in Donbasa, considered by the West as a terrorist organization from 2014 to 2016. Not all saboteurs, however, have been able to track down. On 3 May, Diehl Metall's mill in the Berlin territory of Lichterfelde burned down. The list of specified events is getting longer.
In Western countries, there is simply a certain degree of helplessness toward diversion. It is hard to prove that Moscow is liable for the attacks. NATO capitals fear conflict with Russia and frequently do not want to accuse it. Max Bergmann of the American Institute for strategical and global Studies said: “We are in a very delicate situation due to the fact that the situation is already on the brink; The Kremlin is paranoid. Therefore, Western leaders must respond very carefully."
