Putin Conducts Shadow War of Sabotage Across Europe
Vladimir Putin is directing a campaign of hybrid attacks and sabotage across Europe to intimidate nations supporting Ukraine following U.S. aid cuts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is conducting a shadow war of hybrid and gray-zone attacks targeting European nations that provide support to Ukraine. These operations follow severe cuts in aid to Kyiv implemented by U.S. President Donald Trump. Western intelligence agencies attribute a series of sabotage acts to the Kremlin, despite denials from Moscow.
Recent operations include the deployment of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport in Germany and the damaging of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Additionally, exploding parcels have targeted logistics facilities in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Germany, while a failed arson attack occurred at a Czech bus depot.
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis argues that the alliance must counter these threats by increasing intelligence efforts to name and shame Russian actors. He proposes deploying quick-reaction kinetic capabilities and conducting offensive hybrid operations, such as cyber disruptions in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, to impose a military cost on Russia.
