{"id":61904,"date":"2026-09-04T13:03:45","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/europe-targeted-by-spiralling-campaign-of-sabotage\/04\/09\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T13:03:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T17:03:45","slug":"europe-targeted-by-spiralling-campaign-of-sabotage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/europe-targeted-by-spiralling-campaign-of-sabotage\/04\/09\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe targeted by spiralling campaign of sabotage"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
\n
As summer temperatures in Europe smashed records and many politicians shifted to holiday mode, Russia remained focused on its war.<\/p>\n
Not only did its military attacks across Ukraine intensify last month, becoming ever more deadly for civilians, Russia also appears to have escalated its sabotage campaign across Europe.<\/p>\n
This time, military and defence sector sites were the prime target.<\/p>\n
A full month after drones packed with explosives were found at Leipzig’s airport, used by Ukraine to transport military goods, Germany’s interior minister has declared that “Russia is responsible”.<\/p>\n
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is demanding proof, as always, and his officials call the accusation “absurd”.<\/p>\n
But the drones were just a dramatic start. August then brought a series of suspicious fires at defence facilities from Italy to Estonia.<\/p>\n
Some of the affected countries have already blamed Russia; others are still investigating and some fires may eventually be ruled accidental, exactly as such attacks are designed to seem.<\/p>\n
Poland’s interior minister is clear.<\/p>\n
“There are many, many signals that Russia is changing its strategy and intensifying its activities, including terrorist and sabotage activities,” Marcin Kierwi\u0144ski said, warning people to be on their guard.<\/p>\n
August campaign across Europe<\/h2>\n
4 August Germany:<\/strong> The first drone at Leipzig airport is discovered.<\/p>\n
10 August Bulgaria:<\/strong> A major fire breaks out at a warehouse of defence firm EMCO in Tryavna. In a statement, the company recalled previous blasts at its facilities which were investigated for links to Russia. “Human error is excluded,” it said.<\/p>\n
13 August Italy:<\/strong> A fire at KNDS Ammo Italy outside Rome triggers a large explosion.<\/p>\n
The local prosecutor is looking into possible outside interference, La Repubblica newspaper reports. Publicly, his office will only confirm that a case has been opened for negligent disaster against “unknown persons”.<\/p>\n
15 August Estonia: <\/strong>The Milrem Robotics factory in Tallinn, which the Kyiv Post says supplies drones to Ukraine, goes up in flames. Two suspects are arrested.<\/p>\n
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal says the possibility of Russian sabotage is being “taking seriously” by investigators.<\/p>\n
25 August Slovakia: <\/strong>Police announce they have averted an arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned drone manufacturer and seized a “large amount of incendiary mixture”. The firm itself blames Russia and police arrest three suspects who they say were “following orders”. Slovakia is Russia’s close ally in Europe.<\/p>\n
30 August<\/strong> Poland:<\/strong> A country which is heavily targeted for sabotage reports two more fires.<\/p>\n
One is in Lublin at a company which produces helicopter components. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said arson “cannot be ruled out”.<\/p>\n
An attack on the drone producer, WB Group, is clearer cut. A masked man is caught on CCTV throwing incendiary devices. Tusk calls it a “continuation of Russia’s escalatory activities”.<\/p>\n
The pattern has continued into September with two Bulgarians arrested in Munich, Germany, for suspected arson after throwing incendiary devices from a car at defence firm Rhode & Schwartz.<\/p>\n
Separately, police say they are hunting a climate extremist suspected of sabotage attacks this week on power substations in western Germany.<\/p>\n\n