According to Bloomberg, over the past two months the main targets of attacks allegedly organized by Russian security services have been defense and logistics enterprises directly linked to support for Ukraine. The agency writes that against this backdrop, Ukrainian strikes are increasingly hitting energy and military targets on Russian territory.
A source close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg that Russia will “turn Europe’s life into hell” through asymmetric hybrid operations in response to support for Kyiv. Two officials cited by the agency say that in the West these actions are already being treated as terrorist acts and counterterrorism methods developed after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the fight against “Al-Qaeda” and “Islamic State” are being used against them.
Bloomberg notes that both Russian security services and terrorist groups use intermediaries, often recruited online. The difference, according to the agency, is that those working for Moscow act not out of ideological motives, but for money.
This week, the United States brought charges against a group of people who, according to authorities, worked for Russian intelligence, recruited operatives for sabotage in Europe, and prepared the killings of Russian opposition figures. In early September, British authorities arrested a citizen of the country, accusing him of violating the National Security Act, passing information about drone production sites in England to the Russian intelligence service, and preparing for sabotage.
After explosive-laden drones were found at Leipzig airport, through which cargo is delivered to Ukraine, Germany announced the delivery in September of additional Iris-T air defense missiles and plans to transfer several thousand attack drones in the near future. Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Everard told the agency that this is “war without battles” and that the openness of democratic societies “makes the task easier for wrongdoers”.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys told Bloomberg that on the alliance’s eastern flank this is no longer seen as merely hybrid confrontation. According to him, this is about explosives capable of causing damage.
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