Intelligence officials in the US and its allies have seen an increase in sabotage operations in Europe, which they say are part of a Russian campaign to undermine support for Ukraine, The New York Times reports.
The Russian operations mostly took the form of arson attacks or attempted arson attacks against a large number of targets in the UK, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania. The perpetrators of these sabotage attacks have also been arrested on charges of plotting attacks on US military bases.
While all these events may seem random, US and European security officials say they are part of a coordinated effort by Russia to slow down the supply of weapons to Kyiv and create the appearance of popularity for the European opposition. Intelligence reports claim that the campaign is led by Russian military intelligence.
Although the sabotage did not affect the level of aid to Kyiv, some intelligence officials say Russia is trying to spread fear and force European countries to increase security along the arms and weapons supply chain, increasing costs and slowing the pace of aid.
NATO and European leaders warn of the growing threat. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said last week that Russia is waging a "shadow war" against Europe. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the arrest of 12 people accused of committing beatings, arson and attempted arson on behalf of Russian intelligence. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that Russia is a real and serious threat after his country warned of possible attacks on energy producers and arms factories.
In June, NATO ambassadors are scheduled to meet with US intelligence chief Avril Gaines. She will give a briefing on Russia's war in Ukraine and discuss Moscow's subversive campaign in Europe.
A specific feature of Russia's latest sabotage campaign, according to intelligence reports, is the use of local agents, or "recruits". US and European officials said this was partly done to make the attacks harder to detect and to make them appear to be the result of domestic opposition to support for Ukraine.
Recently, the Polish authorities reported they are tightening security at the airport around Rzeszow-Yasenka, the main transit hub for foreign military aid to Ukraine.