Russian saboteurs infiltrate Germany amid security fears

According to reports, the GRU—Russian military intelligence—trained a professional group of saboteurs who intended to use the wave of refugees to infiltrate German territory. The saboteurs had specific targets to attack, but they were apprehended before they managed to cross the border.

German services confirm that another sabotage team successfully entered the country despite detecting one group. Their task is to carry out attacks on civilian and military objects.

According to documents cited by German media, the Kremlin developed a detailed plan to cause a blackout in Germany. Experts emphasize that Germany has become a frontline state, despite the geographical buffer of Poland between them and Russia.

Security specialists highlight the need for significantly increased protection of critical infrastructure. In connection with this, there are calls for the reinstatement of mandatory military service as a means to strengthen national security.

The German newspaper published an article presenting photos that are supposed to be evidence of the planned sabotage, including a notebook containing phone numbers and addresses.

A recognized expert in this field also presented an analysis of Russian sabotage. Daniela Richterová, in an article in the scientific journal tandfonline.com (Taylor & Francis Online), explained the methods used by the Kremlin.

According to the authors of the report, Russian services are becoming increasingly active. In the first quarter of 2024, there was a significant increase in attacks and disruptions with the hallmarks of sabotage. These actions include fires, cyberattacks, destruction of undersea communication and defence cables, and power outages at major airports. Sabotage, as a classic form of subthreshold warfare, aims to weaken the opponent in a way that is difficult to detect and prove.

The first Kremlin-sponsored sabotage operations on NATO territory took place a decade after Vladimir Putin came to power. In 2011, Russian military intelligence (GRU) carried out an attack on an ammunition depot in Bulgaria, where equipment intended for Georgia was stored. Three years later, after Moscow's annexation of Crimea, a similar fate befell a Czech warehouse with military supplies for Ukrainian forces.

Russian intelligence services have adopted a new approach to recruiting and directing agent-saboteurs, utilizing the opportunities offered by the sharing economy. Recruitment is mainly conducted online, through encrypted communication channels, with payments made using cryptocurrencies.

This model allows for a significant reduction in operational costs while simultaneously increasing their scale and pace. Contractor fees are relatively low—ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred Canadian dollars per task. This approach enables Russia to engage a wider range of contractors, including individuals unaware of the real purpose of their actions.

The expert reveals a whole series of sabotage actions. These include arson attacks on shopping centres, furniture warehouses, paint factories, and storage facilities, as well as disruptions to railway operations in Sweden, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The document also details acts of sabotage, such as the destruction of a warehouse in London containing humanitarian aid (March 2024), an explosion in a weapons factory in Wales producing weapons for Ukraine, an explosion in an ammunition factory in Scranton (Pennsylvania) producing 155mm shells for Ukraine, and an explosion in an arms production facility in Arkansas (producing Hellfire and Javelin missiles).

Previous cases of sabotage include, among others, the blowing up of an ammunition depot in Bulgaria (2011), two explosions in an ammunition depot in the Czech Republic (2014), cyberattacks and sabotage of undersea communication and defence cables, and power outages at major airports.