Russia recruits criminals across Europe - Kremlin's new plan

Western intelligence agencies report that Russian special services have changed their sabotage tactics in Europe, recruiting local criminals through messengers and cryptocurrency for arson and explosions at defense enterprises producing weapons for Ukraine.

Western intelligence agencies report that Russian special services have changed their sabotage tactics in Europe. According to The Telegraph, the GRU is now recruiting local criminals through messengers, including Telegram, and paying them in cryptocurrency for arson and explosions at defense enterprises producing weapons for Ukraine. Targets have included factories in Estonia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Italy, producing 155-mm shells, drones, thermal imagers, and scanners. Poland and the Baltic states take the toughest stance, warning of hybrid warfare. Germany and Italy are cautious, fearing escalation. Each incident left without a response allows Moscow to assess the limits of hybrid pressure. The article cites Western intelligence sources and contains no editorial assessments.