Sabotage, arson and covert operations in European countries are needed by Russia in order to undermine their security and weaken their ability to support Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the international organisations in Vienna, Yurii Vitrenko, said this at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ukrinform reports.
The diplomat stressed that the recently uncovered Russian sabotage network in Romania is a vivid example of such activity. Citing the words of Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Vitrenko noted that Moscow’s methods may differ, but the goal remains unchanged — to weaken Europe’s ability to defend itself and to support Ukraine. The diplomat underlined that the war against Ukraine and efforts to destabilise European states are interconnected.
He also drew attention to Russian attacks against civilian vessels in the Black Sea, violations of airspace and strikes on international border crossing points.
Vitrenko separately noted an intensification of attacks against Ukraine’s energy sector. Since mid-summer, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been hit every day, and their total number has already exceeded 2,000. He recalled the findings of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, which found these systematic strikes to be deliberate, aimed at causing suffering for the civilian population, and amounting to crimes against humanity.