Up to 100 ‘suspicious incidents’ in Europe can be attributed to Russia, says Czech minister | espionage

A senior European diplomat said up to 100 “suspicious incidents” in Europe this year could be attributed to Russia, as Western officials wrestle with how to respond to suspected Russian sabotage attempts.

Ahead of a meeting with NATO colleagues in Brussels, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stressed that Europe must “send a strong signal to Moscow that this will not be tolerated.”

“There have been 500 suspicious incidents in Europe this year. Up to 100 of them can be attributed to Russian hybrid attacks, espionage and influence operations,” Lipavský told reporters.

TThe issue of Russian hybrid threats was one of the main topics during the NATO alliance’s two-day meeting in Brussels, which ended on Wednesday.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that “both Russia and China have sought to destabilize our countries and divide our societies through acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and energy extortion.”

Rutte added that the bloc had agreed on a series of measures to “counter Russia’s hostile and cyber activities, including improved intelligence sharing, more exercises, better protection of critical infrastructure and improved cyber defenses.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Berlin on Wednesday that his country was exposed to a significant risk of sabotage from both Russia and China. He stressed the need for the country to better prepare for attacks and become more resilient.

In recent years, European countries have experienced a spate of incidents – cyberattacks, arson, incendiary devices, sabotage and even assassinations. According to security officials, the aim of such incidents is to sow chaos, increase social tensions among Ukraine’s allies and disrupt military supplies to Kiev.

Concern in Europe about possible Russian hybrid attacks has increased after the West agreed to allow Ukraine to use long-range US and British missiles in attacks inside Russia.

Rutte warned last month that Russia’s “intensifying campaign of hybrid attacks” highlighted how Moscow was rapidly shifting the front line from Ukraine “to the Baltic region, to Western Europe and even to the far north.”

European intelligence services are investigating a number of suspected Russian operations.

Sweden is leading the investigation into the suspected act of sabotage on two submarine cables in the Baltic Sea. Western officials suspect a ship intentionally severed the cables by dragging an anchor more than 100 miles above the seabed.

In the United Kingdom, a court is investigating the case of a “sophisticated” British spy ring that allegedly passed secrets to Russia over nearly three years, gathering intelligence on targets across Europe.

Police are also investigating whether Russia-linked spies – through delivery company DHL – have planted incendiary devices across Europe, in Birmingham in the UK and Leipzig in Germany.

Perhaps the biggest threat was an assassination attempt on Armin Papperger, the CEO of the German defense company Rheinmetall, one of many European companies that supply Ukraine.

German foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Russia’s acts of sabotage could potentially prompt NATO to consider invoking the alliance’s mutual defense clause in Article 5.

The wide geographical reach and diversity of threats pose a major challenge for the West to mobilize resources and effectively counter Russian aggression.

A former senior European defense official said it would be “virtually impossible” to fully counter Moscow’s escalating hybrid warfare. The former official, who recently left office, said that for years the West underestimated Russia’s hybrid activities and lost valuable time for sharing intelligence and expanding defense capabilities.

Some countries are now forced to rely on non-governmental organizations to protect their territories.

Last month, the Netherlands announced plans to temporarily hire private shipping companies to boost security in its part of the North Sea.

The increase in Russian activity came as the Kremlin’s spy apparatus recovered from the initial shock when 450 agents posing as diplomats were expelled from Europe in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Without the traditional network of spies in embassies, Western officials say Russia is forced to resort to riskier and less conventional methods, relying on criminals and others to carry out its dirty work.