How Russia recruits refugees for sabotage in Europe: an explanation from Ukrainian intelligence
Kyiv • UNN
Since 2022, around 200 acts of sabotage linked to Russia have been recorded in Europe. Among the agents detained are Ukrainians and Belarusians.
In September 2026, a fire broke out near the Carfil SA defense plant in Brașov, Romania. Romanian intelligence later established that the arson was carried out by an agent network run by Russian special services. The perpetrators were detained in one of the EU countries: they turned out to be one Ukrainian citizen and two Belarusians.
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reports on how Russians recruit Ukrainian refugees to carry out terrorist attacks and crimes in European countries, UNN reports.
Details
According to the intelligence service, around 200 acts of sabotage linked to Russia have been recorded in Europe since 2022.
The largest number of cases—21%—occurred in Poland. More than 170 perpetrators have already been identified, including Ukrainians. All traces lead to Russia, but Moscow traditionally denies its involvement in creating agent networks for hybrid operations on EU territory. The Kremlin's main objectives are to intimidate Europeans and undermine military aid to Ukraine. Therefore, Poland, through which the main flow of that aid passes, has become the primary focus of Russian special services. Its railway lines, warehouses, logistics hubs, and defense enterprises feature in most known cases
Russian special services focus on refugees in vulnerable situations: low-income people, those from temporarily occupied territories, or people connected to criminal activity, as well as teenagers seeking easy money.
To avoid becoming a target for recruitment, one should be attentive to the emergence of new contacts who try to obtain personal information, offer "easy" money, or promise to "solve" urgent financial problems. One of the signs of communication with a representative of enemy special services is a demand to keep the relationship confidential. An effective way to avoid recruitment is to seek legal assistance from law enforcement agencies in the country of residence or from a diplomatic mission of Ukraine
Let us recall
Russia recruited at least 2,427 Africans to fight against Ukraine. Dozens of citizens from 15 countries are being held captive, while 314 people have already been killed.