The Russians strike in Europe. Arson attacks, air traffic disruptions and train derailments are part of a hybrid war that could reach Switzerland. Security expert Ralph D. Thiele criticizes: “The risk is not taken seriously enough.”
NATO recently warned about Russia’s “malign activities” in Europe. Now the Kremlin is striking with great force. In Sweden, there were fires in several places and two train derailments, which were attributed to Russian saboteurs. The major fire at the Diehl arms company in Berlin in May is also said to have been an act of sabotage involving a Russian firm.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aides are among us. Ralph D. Thiele, German security expert and author of the book “Hybrid Warfare, Future and Technologies”, is sounding the alarm. He told Blick “we grossly underestimate this risk.”
Above all, he criticizes the fact that such attacks are looked at and investigated individually. “We usually assume that attacks, cyber attacks and politicians being attacked are independent cases. No one looks at the context of these activities, which makes it difficult to investigate and fight.”
In addition to countries bordering Russia, sabotage also affects countries such as France, Great Britain and Germany, which massively support Ukraine.
However, unstable countries such as Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Western Balkans are particularly at risk. “We have failed to support these states, especially in defending against hybrid threats,” says Thiele.
Switzerland could also become a target. On the eve of the Bürgenstock conference in mid-June, a suspected Russian agent who had apparently tried to obtain weapons and materials for attacks was detained. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed several searches at the home.
Secret services recruit people ‘who are hungry for action
Thiele divides the perpetrators into two categories: standard secret service agents and recruits who lived in the target country. “The Russian and Chinese secret services use the Internet to recruit people who are interested in action,” explains Thiele. Saboteurs are currently focusing primarily on arson attacks. Attackers will also be paid online using a cryptocurrency.
Thiele includes power centers, submarine cables, satellites and other communications facilities among possible attack targets. “It is essentially about destabilizing governments and societies. These efforts are supported by politicians and European parties that support the Kremlin”, he says.
Thiele sees hybrid warfare, which includes sabotage as well as cyber-attacks and propaganda, as a central element of the future of global warfare – especially in relation to artificial intelligence and drones. Thiele urgently warns: “If we do not recognize this threat, we will not be able to defend ourselves.”
In May, the Diehl arms company in Berlin went up in flames. It was not an accident, as was initially thought, but an act of sabotage, as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) writes. The goal: to prevent the delivery of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. Diehl Defense also manufactures the IRIS-T air defense system, which is also delivered to Ukraine.
- In December 2023, the car of Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets was broken into in Tallinn. The police have arrested ten suspects. They were said to be Russian agents gathering information to carry out attacks.
- In December 2023, two Malmbanan freight trains derailed within four days in northern Sweden. The road was closed for two months. The police suspected Russian saboteurs.
- In March, a warehouse containing aid to Ukraine burned down in London. Five men were charged with allegedly targeting companies with ties to Ukraine on behalf of the Russian mercenary force Wagner.
Finnair temporarily suspended flights to the Estonian city of Tartu in April after two planes lost GPS signals and were forced to turn back. The increasingly frequent outages are suspected to originate from Russia, but do not primarily target flight operations.
- In May, an Ikea store burned down in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and a shopping mall in the Polish capital Warsaw. Nine people with Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish passports were arrested in connection with the other fires.
