Russian intelligence services are trying to recruit Ukrainian refugees in European countries to carry out acts of sabotage. To do so, they use social networks, messaging apps and job-search chats, offering easy money.
This is reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
One recent case was a fire in September this year near the Carfil SA defence plant in the Romanian city of Brașov. According to Romanian intelligence, a network of agents directed by Russian intelligence services was involved in the arson attack. Those suspected include a Ukrainian citizen and two Belarusians. They were detained within the European Union.
According to the FISU, since 2022 Europe has recorded around 200 acts of sabotage linked to Russia. The largest share of cases (21%) occurred in Poland. Law enforcement has identified more than 170 perpetrators, including Ukrainians.
Intelligence officials note that Russia uses Ukrainians, among other things, to foster negative attitudes towards refugees, stir up anti-Ukrainian sentiment and conceal its own involvement in sabotage.
In the crosshairs of Russian intelligence services are people in vulnerable circumstances: those on low incomes, people from temporarily occupied territories, individuals connected to criminal circles, as well as teenagers looking for easy money.
Recruitment usually begins with simple tasks: taking a photo of a particular site or putting up stickers. Later, handlers may assign surveillance of targets, damage to property, arson attacks and other dangerous actions. Perpetrators are asked to record the results on video.
The FISU stresses that people who agree to such offers often do not know who is really behind them and may not even receive the promised payment. After carrying out a criminal task, they risk being detained and receiving a lengthy prison sentence.
Among the main aims of Russia’s campaign, intelligence officials cite intimidating Europeans and weakening military assistance to Ukraine. Russian intelligence services pay particular attention to Poland, through which a significant share of the logistics routes for supplying aid to Ukraine passes. Targets of interest for sabotage include railway infrastructure, warehouses, logistics hubs and defence enterprises.
Ukrainian intelligence is working with European partners, sharing information and helping to identify the methods used by Russian intelligence services, recruitment channels and potential sabotage targets.
Ukrainians abroad are urged to be cautious with new contacts offering quick money, promising to solve financial problems or trying to obtain personal information. One sign of recruitment may be a demand to keep communications secret.
In the event of suspicious offers, intelligence officials advise seeking legal assistance from the law enforcement agencies of the country of residence or from Ukraine’s diplomatic missions.