Putin Orders Sabotage Campaign Against NATO Countries
Vladimir Putin ordered an intensified campaign of covert sabotage and drone attacks across Europe targeting military aid and infrastructure.
U.S. intelligence reports that Vladimir Putin ordered an intensified campaign of sabotage and covert actions targeting NATO member states. The operations, led by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, specifically its Special Tasks Service, include arson attacks on drone manufacturers in Estonia and Poland and the sabotage of Starlink stations in Poland, Lithuania, and Bulgaria.
A primary example of this campaign occurred in August at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany, where Russian agents used explosive-packed drones to target a cargo plane transporting military aid to Ukraine. Although the attack did not cause high casualties, German officials stated they would have considered invoking NATO's Article 5 collective-defense provision if the result had been more severe.
The campaign also extends to drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea near Bulgaria and Romania, with Serbia serving as a logistics hub for moving explosives and modified drones into the European Union. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz responded to the escalation by stating that Russia is waging a war not only on Ukraine but against Europe as a whole.
