Russia launches sabotage attacks on weapons factories in Europe following support for Ukraine

Russia is suspected of being behind a series of attacks targeting weapons manufacturers and defence companies across Europe, in what officials describe as a wider destabilisation campaign.

The alleged operations are believed to be designed to test NATO’s response and disrupt European support for Ukraine while avoiding an incident serious enough to trigger Article 5, NATO’s collective-defence clause.

The latest case involves Milrem Robotics, an Estonian drone manufacturer that supplies equipment to Ukraine. A building belonging to the Tallinn-based company was set on fire in Tallinn on August 15. Estonia is investigating whether the fire was deliberate and whether Russia was involved, while Latvia has detained three of its own nationals over the suspected arson.

The incident comes amid other unexplained explosions and fires at European defence facilities. On August 10, a blast struck EMCO, a major Bulgarian arms manufacturer producing 155mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine. Three days later, an explosion hit the KNDS Ammo Italy munitions plant near Rome. Officials in both Bulgaria and Italy have so far played down suggestions that Russia was responsible.

Western intelligence officials have increasingly warned that Russia may be using sabotage, cyberattacks, assassination attempts and criminal proxies as part of a broader hybrid war against the West. The suspected strategy is intended to increase tensions among NATO members and weaken support for Ukraine without provoking a direct military confrontation with the alliance.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has described suspected Russian sabotage as “reckless and dangerous”, while a NATO official said the alliance is strengthening its ability to detect and counter such operations.

The accusations come against the backdrop of continuing attacks related to the war in Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly denied responsibility for covert attacks in Europe, and authorities have not established Russian involvement in every incident.

The growing number of investigations nevertheless highlights a major concern for European governments: that the conflict with Russia is increasingly being fought not only on the battlefield in Ukraine, but also through covert operations targeting critical infrastructure and the defence industry across Europe.