Russian security services have intensified their efforts to assassinate political opponents and Ukrainian supporters across Europe. Western intelligence officials have mapped over 191 acts of Russian-linked sabotage and arson since the start of the full-scale invasion. The Kremlin now increasingly recruits criminal proxies via social media to conduct lethal operations on foreign soil.
This was reported by the Associated Press, citing sources from three different Western intelligence agencies.
In France, authorities detained four men born in Dagestan who surveilled activist Vladimir Osechkin in Biarritz. Similarly, Lithuanian officials intercepted a plot to kill Valdas Bartkevičius with a bomb planted in his mailbox. In a separate incident, a gunman was detained near the home of Ruslan Gabbasov, an activist advocating for the independence of the Bashkortostan region.
Propaganda threats against foreign embassies
In addition to physical attacks, Russian state media has escalated its aggressive rhetoric toward foreign diplomats. Propagandist Olga Skabeeva recently showcased potential targets for “retaliatory strikes” on Kyiv’s government quarter on national television. The proposed strike zones include the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the President’s Office. Furthermore, the threats specifically mention the embassies of Armenia, Latvia, Japan, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and France. Propagandists noted that these diplomatic missions are located in densely populated civilian areas of the Ukrainian capital.
Shift in tactics and use of proxy agents
Intelligence officials note that Moscow shifted to using “cheap proxies” following the mass expulsion of Russian spies in 2022. The Russian security apparatus now recruits criminals and radicals to conduct sabotage under the guidance of military intelligence. Former British counterterrorism commander Dominic Murphy confirmed that this model allows the Kremlin to maintain plausible deniability. Despite these efforts, Western law enforcement has already charged 13 individuals from seven countries for involvement in Russian-ordered plots over the past year.
Previously, The Ukrainian Review reported that Russia violates the ceasefire and attacks Ukraine.
