Russian hybrid warfare against Europe has intensified notably from 2022 through 2024, according to an IISS report cited by Texty.org.ua. The total sabotage-related incidents rose from 6 in 2022 to 44 in 2024, reflecting a major escalation. After Western countries expelled many Russian intelligence operatives in 2022, Moscow shifted to employing poorly trained third-country nationals, recruited online via platforms such as Telegram, to conduct sabotage and subversion. This 'gig-economy for saboteurs' approach distances Kremlin responsibility by using disposable agents. Attacks primarily target critical infrastructure: military logistics including Polish railroad tracks used for Western military aid, ammunition and weapons factories such as the Diehl plant in Germany producing IRIS-T air defense systems, energy infrastructure like submarine cables, gas pipelines, and power plants, and civilian targets like shopping centers (notably the arson at Marywilska 44 in Warsaw) to spread fear and unrest. European governments typically refrain from publicly accusing Russia directly due to fear of escalation and evidentiary challenges, despite the rising threat. Russia's tactics fall within a 'gray zone' designed to destabilize Europe and degrade NATO-EU cohesion without triggering full military retaliation, advancing Moscow's broader hybrid campaign against the Western alliance.

Russian hybrid warfare against Europe has intensified notably from 2022 through 2024, according to an IISS report cited by Texty.org.ua. The total sabotage-related incidents rose from 6 in 2022 to 44 in 2024, reflecting a major escalation. After Western countries expelled many Russian intelligence operatives in 2022, Moscow shifted to employing poorly trained third-country nationals, recruited online via platforms such as Telegram, to conduct sabotage and subversion. This 'gig-economy for saboteurs' approach distances Kremlin responsibility by using disposable agents. Attacks primarily target critical infrastructure: military logistics including Polish railroad tracks used for Western military aid, ammunition and weapons factories such as the Diehl plant in Germany producing IRIS-T air defense systems, energy infrastructure like submarine cables, gas pipelines, and power plants, and civilian targets like shopping centers (notably the arson at Marywilska 44 in Warsaw) to spread fear and unrest. European governments typically refrain from publicly accusing Russia directly due to fear of escalation and evidentiary challenges, despite the rising threat. Russia's tactics fall within a 'gray zone' designed to destabilize Europe and degrade NATO-EU cohesion without triggering full military retaliation, advancing Moscow's broader hybrid campaign against the Western alliance.