ICCT confirms 189 Russia-organized acts of sabotage in Europe — Yle News
The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) has confirmed 189 attacks and acts of sabotage organized by Russia, an aggressor state, in Europe following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Yle News reports, citing the centre’s researcher Julian Lanche.
According to him, these confirmations are based on intelligence service data or journalistic investigations. The actual number of such cases may be significantly higher, as, in the researcher’s view, most of them never become publicly known. Among possible incidents, Lanche named suspicious fires, electronic interference and sabotage of public infrastructure.
Incidents in Germany and Estonia
At the beginning of August, a drone with explosives was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany. According to German intelligence services, the people involved in the incident acted on behalf of the Russian state. Lanche said that this was already the third drone with explosives found at the airport, and that drones were used in an attempt to attack the Ukrainian aircraft.
Also in August, a weapons cache was discovered in Berlin which, according to the researcher’s assessment, is likely linked to Russia. In Tallinn, an arson attack took place at a facility of Milrem Robotics, a company that supplies defence technologies to Ukraine. Lanche stated that this arson attack is also likely connected to Russia.
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Poland and Baltic states among main targets
Lanche noted that the highest number of Russia-linked acts of sabotage was recorded in states that most actively support Ukraine. According to him, Poland had the largest number of such cases, followed by Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Baltic states.
In the researcher’s assessment, sabotage peaked in 2024, after which its number declined somewhat, but recently began to rise again. He also drew attention to an increase in assassination attempts. Previously, they were mainly directed against Russian opposition figures and journalists who had left Russia, whereas potential targets now include citizens of European states, in particular executives of German companies supplying weapons to Ukraine.
In its statistics, the ICCT focuses on physical incidents. Lanche considers cyberattacks a serious potential risk and cited hacks of hospitals in the United Kingdom, as well as banks and airports, as examples. In his view, the Baltic states and Poland are best prepared for hybrid threats, while Europe as a whole is insufficiently prepared for such actions.
