Playing with Fire Under NATO's Radar: How Putin Is Torching Europe's Weapons Factories

Western intelligence sources claim that Russia is using local criminals to carry out arson and sabotage at weapons factories across Europe, aiming to disrupt military supplies to Ukraine and test NATO's response limits. This week, three local citizens were arrested in Latvia on suspicion of setting fire to the "Milrem Robotics" drone factory in neighboring Estonia, which supplies vital military equipment to Ukrainian forces. The incident joins a series of similar attacks: an explosion at the "EMCO" ammunition factory in Bulgaria on August 10, an explosion at an ammunition factory on the outskirts of Rome days later, a fire at a Czech drone factory, and an indictment in Lithuania against six individuals who attempted to set fire to a scanner factory. According to The Telegraph, Russia's modus operandi has shifted: military intelligence recruits intermediaries from criminal gangs via messaging apps like Telegram, who then hire local criminals for cryptocurrency payments. According to the head of Latvia's security services, recruits often do not know they are working for the Kremlin. The attacks aim to sow division within NATO: while Eastern European and Baltic states blame Moscow, Italy and Germany hesitate for fear of escalation. Each incident that passes without a significant response serves Moscow in gathering intelligence on the West's response limits.