Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Russia has ramped up sabotage operations across Europe, targeting critical infrastructure like undersea cables and even plotting assassinations of defectors and European weapons-makers.
Western officials link these acts to Moscow’s hybrid warfare strategy, aiming to destabilize NATO countries, disrupt energy supplies and undermine support for Ukraine. In response, allies have intensified intelligence sharing to counter the growing threat.
According to Spiegel, the perpetrators were young men from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Germany. They weren’t ideological activists but hired hands, recruited at a rate of €100 per vehicle by Russian operatives via messaging apps like Viber.
German intelligence officials warn that Russia is increasingly relying on so-called low-level agents for influence operations. These aren’t trained spies but amateurs from petty criminal backgrounds, willing to cause chaos for a quick payout.
Investigators searched homes linked to the suspects, seizing mobile phones, laptops and cans of construction foam. While no arrests have been made so far, two suspects have fled the country, according to Spiegel.
One of the detained suspects has reportedly confessed, claiming they were promised several thousand euros and assured legal support if caught. The instructions, according to the confession, came directly from a Russian contact.