European Officials Worried About Russian Arson, Sabotage

European officials are warning that Russian-inspired arson and sabotage may be spreading around the continent.

During a summit this week of foreign and defense ministers in Brussels, Dutch, Estonian and Lithuanian security officials warned that a recent spate of mystery fires and attacks on infrastructure could be the work of Russia, The Guardian reported.

One minister said they were deeply worried about "sabotage, physical sabotage, organized, financed and done by Russian proxies," the outlet added.

"They have conducted similar operations in Estonia," Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said, The Guardian reported. "They hired 10 people to attack the car of the interior minister and a journalist's car. This is normal behavior of Russia. We are sorry to say but we need to understand that Russia is more and more aggressive towards European countries and also NATO countries."

Incidents that have drawn concern include a fire in Ikea in Vilnius, Lithuania; an arson attack in east London; a fire that destroyed Poland's largest shopping mall; a sabotage attempt in Bavaria, Germany; and antisemitic graffiti in Paris, The Guardian reported.

So far, there's no evidence any of these incidents have been coordinated. Still, security services believe they could be part of an attempt by Moscow to destabilize the west.

The Financial Times earlier this month reported that evidence is mounting of a more aggressive and concerted effort of Russian sabotage, according to assessments from three different European countries.

"We assess the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be significantly increased," said Thomas Haldenwang, head of German domestic intelligence, Financial Times reported.

Last week, Recorded Future News reported that Norway's Police Security Service and the Norwegian Intelligence Service warned there was an increased threat of sabotage targeting organizations in the country involved in delivering arms to Ukraine.

In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the country's security services had caught suspected saboteurs whom they believed were directed by Russia's intelligence agencies.

In the United Kingdom, two British nationals recently were arrested on suspicion of an arson attack against a Ukrainian-owned business in London, allegedly directed by the Kremlin, and six Bulgarian nationals have been charged with spying under the direction of the Russian state.

NATO's North Atlantic Council announced that allies were "deeply concerned about recent malign activities on Allied territory, including those resulting in the investigation and charging of multiple individuals in connection with hostile state activity," Recorded Future News reported.

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