NYT: Russia is conducting a sabotage campaign in Europe to disrupt arms shipments to Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
Russia is conducting a sabotage campaign across Europe to disrupt arms shipments to Ukraine, setting fires and recruiting locals to carry out attacks in order to slow down military aid to Kyiv.
Moscow is expanding the scale of sabotage operations in Europe aimed at undermining the supply of military aid to Ukraine. The New York Times writes about this, referring to representatives of the US intelligence service and its allies, UNN reports .
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It is noted that U.S. intelligence, together with its allies, is tracking an increase in the number of "low-level" sabotage operations in Europe, which they believe are part of Russia's campaign to undermine efforts to support Ukraine militarily.
Among such operations, the publication cites the arson attacks on a warehouse in the UK, a paint factory in Poland, residential buildings in Latvia, and an Ikea store in Lithuania.
There are also reports of the arrest of Russian agents on charges of preparing attacks on US military bases.
Although these actions may seem random, U.S. and European security officials say they are part of a concerted effort by Russia to slow down the transfer of weapons to Kyiv and create the appearance of growing opposition to support for Ukraine.
According to officials, this campaign is led by Russia's military intelligence.
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According to the NYT, their actions have not yet interrupted the flow of weapons to Ukraine, and many of the targets are not directly related to the war. But some security officials say Russia is trying to sow fear and force European countries to tighten security along the arms supply chain, which is raising costs and slowing the pace of deliveries.
One of the hallmarks of Russia's sabotage campaign is the use of recruited locals in European countries. U.S. and European officials say this is done in part to make the attacks harder to detect and to create the impression that they are the result of domestic opposition to support for Ukraine.
Amid growing concerns about sabotage, NATO ambassadors will meet next month with US Director of National Intelligence Avriya Gaines, who will provide intelligence on Russia's war in Ukraine and discuss Russia's sabotage campaign in Europe.
