A plan to strike in Europe. A plan to do so with violent acts of sabotage, arson attacks and explosions, capable of knocking out even strategic infrastructures and without taking potential civilian victims into account. According to many European intelligence agencies, this would be the plan of the Russian secret services. A diabolical plan, which 007s from all over Europe have been spotlighting for some time. As the sources of the Financial Times revealed, the agents of the Old Continent are now certain that Moscow has something in store for them. Maybe it’s just a way for the Russians to alarm them and make Europe feel insecure. But observing Moscow’s moves and studying every clue, the level of alert has increased in parallel with the suspicious activities. “Although Kremlin operatives have a long history of such operations, and have launched sporadic attacks in Europe in recent years, evidence of a more aggressive and concerted effort is growing,” the newspaper wrote. And the fear is that Vladimir Putin could give the green light to this type of attack to put European states under even more pressure.
Crosetto: «Putin in Kiev? Improbable. If Russia conquers Ukraine, no one will feel safe.”
The news
The danger is there. And the latest news cases certify this. Last week, some British citizens were arrested for being spies for the Kremlin. One of them is accused of organizing the burning of a company linked to Ukraine. And on Saturday, the Times revealed that a warehouse belonging to the same company in Spain had also caught fire. The ease with which Moscow managed to recruit people on British soil raised the alarm of Her Majesty’s services, who have had a score to settle with the Russians for some time. But London isn’t the only one worried. In recent months, the Russians have made it clear that they move freely, hit their targets and disappear without hiding the traces of their passage too much. Last February, some Russian agents arrived in Alicante, killed the defector Maksim Kuzminov, and disappeared into thin air, causing embarrassment in Madrid. In March, Lithuania pointed the finger at Moscow for the hammer attack on Leonid Volkov, a former aide of Alexei Navalny. Last month, two people were arrested in Bavaria for planning arson and sabotage attacks against infrastructure, military industrial sites or even against US bases in Germany. Also in April, but this time in Poland, Warsaw intelligence captured a man who was gathering information for an attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. And in recent weeks, the wave of interference on the GPS system in Eastern Europe, which can cause serious dangers for air navigation, has also been of concern.
The increase in activity is evident, explained Keir Giles, an expert at the Chatham House think tank. And as the war in Ukraine evolves, the suspicion is that these dynamics could intensify. A challenge in the shadows, as Russian forces press on Kiev, advancing for kilometers and achieving new tactical victories. Often even small, but fundamental to the Kremlin’s plans.
Ukraine, the Russians advance and conquer villages: what happens now? Kiev retreats to the east to avoid encirclement (and awaits help)
Yesterday Moscow announced the conquest of the village of Ocheretyne, in Donetsk, and its troops now control a large part of the strategic heights in the area. And while he celebrated Orthodox Easter by thanking Patriarch Kirill for his “tireless service”, Putin did not even stop the drone bombings, resulting in two more deaths in Pokrovsk. “God has a braid with the Ukrainian flag on his shoulder,” Zelensky said, and with “such an ally,” he continued, “life will win over death.” The head of state tries every card to encourage a population that sees the Russians advancing to the east and hitting them from the sky. In Berdyansk, Ukrainian intelligence reported the killing of a Russian collaborator, trying to demonstrate that it had full control of the territory. But the news from the front is hard for Kiev to digest. NATO fears that the front will collapse with a forthcoming Russian offensive. And while waiting for US aid to the Ukrainians, Chinese President Xi Jinping has also landed in Europe to talk about the conflict. From the columns of Le Figaro, the Chinese leader declared that he intends to “solve the crisis” by working with France and the entire international community. Beijing seems to want to get back into the negotiations, especially after Washington’s accusations on economic ties with Moscow. But Putin has already made it clear that he has no intention of negotiating peace without guaranteeing Russian interests.
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