Since 2022, Russia has conducted a widespread sabotage campaign across Europe involving at least 145 documented incidents, including attacks on railway infrastructure in Poland, arson, vandalism, explosives plots, and cyberattacks. The campaign aims to destabilize European support for Ukraine, produce divisions, and strain security resources. Russia uses proxies with criminal backgrounds to execute these operations, outsourcing to reduce risk to trained intelligence officers. Countries most targeted are those bordering Russia such as Poland, Estonia, Latvia, as well as the U.K., Germany, and France. Poland deployed 10,000 troops to protect infrastructure after a November 2025 rail attack. Notably, six explosions and 26 arson incidents were recorded in 2024, with continued activity into 2025. Incidents frequently involve cross-border perpetrators, complicating investigations and requiring multinational cooperation. Russia’s ally Belarus has engaged in hybrid tactics including smuggling disruptive weather balloons carrying cigarettes into Lithuania and Poland. Despite many plots being foiled or causing limited physical damage, the campaign imposes a heavy resource burden across European intelligence and security services, while costing Russia very little.

Since 2022, Russia has conducted a widespread sabotage campaign across Europe involving at least 145 documented incidents, including attacks on railway infrastructure in Poland, arson, vandalism, explosives plots, and cyberattacks. The campaign aims to destabilize European support for Ukraine, produce divisions, and strain security resources. Russia uses proxies with criminal backgrounds to execute these operations, outsourcing to reduce risk to trained intelligence officers. Countries most targeted are those bordering Russia such as Poland, Estonia, Latvia, as well as the U.K., Germany, and France. Poland deployed 10,000 troops to protect infrastructure after a November 2025 rail attack. Notably, six explosions and 26 arson incidents were recorded in 2024, with continued activity into 2025. Incidents frequently involve cross-border perpetrators, complicating investigations and requiring multinational cooperation. Russia’s ally Belarus has engaged in hybrid tactics including smuggling disruptive weather balloons carrying cigarettes into Lithuania and Poland. Despite many plots being foiled or causing limited physical damage, the campaign imposes a heavy resource burden across European intelligence and security services, while costing Russia very little.