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Russia sabotage campaign in Europe

One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.

261 DAYS
146 FACTS
13 EVENTS
14 SOURCES
FIRST ENTRY DEC 18
SEP 04 · Day 261

Europe targeted by campaign of sabotage with Russia as chief suspect

Two Bulgarians were arrested in Munich, Germany, for suspected arson after throwing incendiary devices from a car at defence firm Rhode & Schwartz.

German media quoted a federal police report listing more than 165 suspected sabotage cases nationwide in 2025.

On 25 August, Slovak police announced they had averted an arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned drone manufacturer and seized a large amount of incendiary mixture.

SEP 04 · Day 261

Europe sabotage campaign suspected to be orchestrated by Russia

Germany closed Russia's consulate general in Bonn and ended the arrangement governing the Russian House cultural center in Berlin in response to the Leipzig attack.

Deliberate interference in Bergheim temporarily forced lignite-fired generating units representing about 4,200 megawatts of capacity offline.

Germany said it would tighten entry controls for Russian nationals and increase pressure on Russia's shadow fleet.

“We've basically seen Ukraine take the war to Russia and strike deep inside Russian territory…They [Moscow] are under pressure, they have to do something.”
SEP 03 · Day 260

Russia to close German cultural centers after Berlin blames Moscow for airport drone plot

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Berlin wants to distract from its own failings and dissatisfaction among voters.

Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin said PET has not presented any concrete evidence that Moscow was preparing sabotage acts in Denmark.

Two Bulgarian nationals were arrested after incendiary devices were thrown at a construction site in Munich.

AUG 26 · Day 252

French intelligence chief warns of more hostile action after Leipzig drone attack

An explosive device was discovered near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Germany's Leipzig Airport.

Berthon made her remarks at La Ref, a gathering of business leaders in Paris.

Céline Berthon is the director-general of the DGSI.

AUG 25 · Day 251

German Chancellor Merz warns after drone incident

Police have warned that unauthorized drone flights over sensitive sites in Germany could have been organized by Russian agents.

Leipzig/Halle Airport serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.

Public broadcasters NDR, WDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported that traces of the military explosive hexogen were found nearby.

AUG 25 · Day 251

Swedish military seeks to take over Russian-owned estate near naval base

Sweden's armed forces have asked the government to expropriate a Russia-owned property near a naval base on security grounds.

The military said the development of Russian drone warfare has changed the threat landscape for Sweden.

The Russian businessman's wife is reported to have owned the property since 2017.

“unique conditions for strengthening the defence of Muskö Naval Base, particularly against drones”
AUG 25 · Day 251

Russian officials warn UK drone factories could face attacks

The Scalp missile is a French-produced version of the UK's Storm Shadow cruise missile and has a range of about 240km (149 miles).

Fedorov said factories producing drones for Ukraine could be attacked by unknown sources rather than by Russia directly.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced plans to travel to the US next month with European leaders to lobby President Donald Trump on Ukraine's defence needs.

“I am proud of the contribution our country has made to Ukraine and I want the Ukrainian people to hear it directly from me that our support will not waver. After all, Ukraine's security is our security.”
ANDY BURNHAM verbatim
AUG 25 · Day 251

Former Russian official warns of attacks on UK drone factories for Ukraine

Burnham said in Kyiv that the U.K. would continue providing Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defend itself.

Fedorov said the attacks could come from unknown sources, not from Russia directly.

Russia's former Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov warned that factories in Britain producing drones for Ukraine could be targeted by semi-military or unknown forces.

AUG 24 · Day 250

Iran-linked hackers blamed for taking down UK power plant

CISA has reported that Iranian-linked actors are using simple techniques to breach programmable logic controllers, such as scanning for exposed devices and exploiting default credentials.

In June, Dr. Richard Horne disclosed that the UK's National Cyber Security Centre had managed more than 200 cyberattacks against UK critical infrastructure in the past year.

The attack on the UK power plant happened in July.

AUG 21 · Day 247

German Authorities Investigate Russian Ties to Weapons Cache Found in Forest

The weapons cache was kept under surveillance for months after the guns were disabled, but no one approached it.

Officials found two handguns and ammunition in a stash located in the woods on the outskirts of Berlin.

In 2021, a German court handed a life sentence to Russian national Vadim Krasikov for a Moscow-ordered murder in a Berlin park.

“This case demonstrates that we are operating under a high threat level,”
AUG 08 · Day 234

Drones spotted over German military base after drone with explosives found at cargo airport

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the Leipzig drone incident posed a "new quality of danger."

A drone carrying explosives was found at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport shortly before midnight on Tuesday.

Leipzig/Halle Airport is home to NATO's Strategic Airlift International Solution (SALIS).

AUG 05 · Day 231

Drone carrying explosives found at German airport

The parcels contained explosive devices set off by electronic timers hidden in vibrating massage pillows.

A robot was deployed after an employee spotted the device near Ukrainian cargo planes.

In July 2024 a parcel burst into flames on the ground at Leipzig/Halle Airport before it could be loaded onto a DHL cargo plane.

“All of this does not point to an amateurish approach. We are talking about a professional, hybrid threat scenario that we will continue to address,”
DEC 18 · Day 1

Russia sabotage campaign targeting Europe, Western officials say

Quote copied with attribution