Brussels, Belgium – NATO has heightened its alertness in response to a surge in suspected Russian sabotage operations across its member countries, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Tuesday.
Stoltenberg, addressing recent suspected acts of sabotage and arson targeting warehouses, shopping centers, and homes in EU and NATO countries, indicated that NATO is closely monitoring these events. While he stopped short of directly blaming Russia, Stoltenberg stressed the importance of national criminal investigations.
“We have seen increased Russian intelligence activity across the alliance; therefore, we have increased our vigilance. Our own services are closely monitoring what the Russians are doing,” Stoltenberg stated. He emphasized the need for national actions, including arrests and legal processes, mentioning ongoing efforts in the UK, Germany, and Poland.
“We need to be ready and share intelligence to counter these hybrid acts aimed at undermining NATO allies’ support for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg added.
Russian Intimidation Attempts
A recent report from The New York Times, citing US and allied security officials, claimed that some of these hybrid attacks, including arson attempts, were orchestrated by the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency.
One notable incident involved arson attempts in Poland, leading to the arrest of nine individuals suspected of working for Russian intelligence. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that the suspects—Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Polish citizens—were involved in sabotage acts on behalf of Russian services, including attempted arson at a paint factory in Wroclaw and other incidents in Lithuania, Latvia, and potentially Sweden.
An arson at an Ikea warehouse in Lithuania is also suspected of being linked to Russian operations. Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa highlighted that “arson is one of the most typical forms of diversion for Russian special services.”
In Germany, two German-Russian nationals were arrested in April for planning bombings and arson against critical infrastructure and military bases. In the UK, authorities arrested two men in late April following an arson attempt on a Ukraine-linked business in East London.
European Leaders Raise Alarm:
Ahead of a meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren warned about Russia’s attempts to destabilize and intimidate European countries. “We are aware of this new way of working, and we are vulnerable. But we can protect ourselves by cooperating with partners, industry, and our security services,” she said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that there is no concrete evidence yet to directly implicate Russia in these attacks, but the threat remains serious.
As NATO ramps up its vigilance, the alliance and its member nations remain on high alert to counter any further attempts at sabotage and to protect critical infrastructure from potential threats.
