The Kremlin is suspected of involvement in a series of covert attacks on the territory of Alliance states.
Confrontation between Russia and NATO / © TSN
Western intelligence agencies warn that Russia’s sabotage campaign in Europe could lead to a dangerous miscalculation by the Kremlin, which could inadvertently provoke a direct confrontation with NATO. According to Western officials, Vladimir Putin is not currently seeking an open war with the Alliance, but is increasingly resorting to hybrid operations against NATO countries.
This is reported by the British publication The Telegraph.
Western officials believe that the Kremlin has a significant “appetite” for conducting operations that remain below the threshold of open military conflict. These include sabotage, cyberattacks, and other covert operations.
One Western official emphasized that Russia’s desire to conduct such operations against NATO countries is evident.
“President Putin is very keen to avoid direct confrontation with NATO. However, there is a risk of miscalculation in all of this,” he noted.
According to The Telegraph, the Kremlin is suspected of involvement in a series of covert attacks on Alliance member states. Among the targets of saboteurs are mentioned a warehouse in Great Britain, a defense enterprise in Estonia, and the Polish railway.
Russia threatens Britain
The Kremlin is increasingly irritated by Ukraine’s use of British drones and missiles to strike military and energy facilities in Russia.
After transferring the blueprints for Storm Shadow missile production to Ukraine, Moscow began threatening strikes on British defense enterprises.
On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Great Britain would allegedly face “catastrophic consequences” for supporting Ukraine.
“We have repeatedly warned that any British military facilities and equipment in Ukraine and beyond its borders may become targets in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using British weapons,” she said.
At the same time, Western officials consider such statements to be a typical part of Russian rhetoric aimed at intimidating Ukraine’s allies and forcing them to reduce military support for Kyiv.
Risk of escalation with NATO
At the same time, Western officials emphasize that despite the Kremlin’s reluctance to engage in open conflict with NATO, the risk of dangerous escalation remains.
“We really need to remain vigilant, especially regarding these hybrid threats,” said one of the officials.
He also recalled that Russia has already been accused of murders on British territory, which, according to Western representatives, demonstrates the reality of the threat.
Western intelligence agencies believe that Moscow may continue to operate in the “grey zone,” using sabotage and cyberattacks against European countries. However, the larger such a campaign becomes, the higher the risk that one of the operations will get out of control and, due to miscalculation, escalate into a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
Recall that at the end of August 2026, the US and its European NATO allies launched a large-scale demonstration of military power near Russia’s borders in response to the sharp intensification of the Kremlin’s hybrid aggression.
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