Western intelligence officials warn that the Kremlin has significantly ramped up a campaign of targeted killings and sabotage across Europe since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. According to reports from the Associated Press on May 7, 2026, Russian security services have become increasingly “brazen,” shifting their focus from traditional military defectors to Russian activists and foreign supporters of Ukraine.
The Use of “Cheap Proxies”
A major shift in Russian tactics involves the use of criminal elements and recruited “proxies” rather than trained intelligence officers. This change is largely a result of the mass expulsion of hundreds of Russian diplomats and undercover spies from European capitals following the 2018 Salisbury poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
Recent Foiled Plots (2024–2025):
- France: Four men from the Dagestan region were detained for stalking the home of human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin in Biarritz.
- Lithuania: Authorities disrupted a plot to kill Ruslan Gabbasov (a Bashkortostan independence advocate) with an armed assassin and another against activist Valdas Bartkevičius involving a mailbox bomb.
- Germany: Plots were broken up targeting the CEO of a German weapons company supplying Ukraine and a high-ranking Ukrainian military official.
- Poland: An arrest was made in connection with a conspiracy to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A Strategy of Intimidation
Intelligence officials believe these operations serve a dual purpose: the physical elimination of opponents and the psychological intimidation of the Russian diaspora. By using proxies, Moscow can also force European law enforcement to waste immense resources on protection and surveillance.
“This campaign is not by accident or chance,” a senior European intelligence official told AP. “There is political authorization.”
The High Cost of Defection
The most high-profile successful assassination cited is that of Maxim Kuzminov, the Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine and was later found shot dead in Spain in 2024. His death is viewed by intelligence agencies as a clear signal that Russia’s security services can still reach targets in Europe when high-priority authorization is given.
Current Status of Targets
Despite being offered the chance to “disappear” through witness protection programs, many targeted activists like Gabbasov and Bartkevičius have refused to stop their work. They argue that going into hiding would grant Moscow the “social death” it desires for its critics.
The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, has declined to comment on these specific allegations, though Russian officials have historically denied involvement in extrajudicial killings abroad.
