The head of German domestic intelligence services, Thomas Haldenwang, revealed this Sunday in the Financial Times, that he had warned his counterparts from France, the United Kingdom and Sweden of a “risk of acts of sabotage initiated by the Russian state”. According to him, this risk “has increased considerably”. He even went further by asserting that Russian attacks could occur in Europe with “a high potential for human and material damage”.
According to Financial Times, the intelligence services of at least four European countries have reportedly warned their governments of this increased risk of Russian sabotage. A report, analyzed in the article from Financial Timesshows that Russia is gradually preparing bomb attacks and clandestine fires in Europe.
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When we look at recent events in Europe, we might think that these acts of sabotage could have already started. In Germany, for example, a statement from the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said two people of German-Russian origin were arrested in April for planning attacks against military sites. In the United Kingdom, two other people were arrested for setting fire to a warehouse containing materials destined for Ukraine. Another example is mentioned in the article from Financial Times, namely the explosion of a munitions factory in Wales.
This Thomas Haldenwang statement comes a few days after a NATO statement. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has expressed concern about Russian activities in Europe. On May 2, the NATO countries declared themselves “gravely concerned about malicious activity“from Russia”carried out recently on Alliance territory”, which “constitute a threat to their security”.
