European governments and intelligence services believe Russia is escalating hybrid operations against European countries, including sabotage, cyberattacks, drone activity, and attacks on infrastructure, according to a Bloomberg report published on September 17.
Bloomberg described a series of incidents that European authorities have linked to Moscow and cited assessments from government and NATO officials. One source described by the outlet as close to the Kremlin also portrayed such actions as a means of pressuring countries that support Ukraine.
The strength of the evidence linking Russia to individual incidents varies, however, and Russian state responsibility for each episode cannot automatically be treated as established fact.
Russia routinely rejects accusations from Western governments that it conducts sabotage and other covert operations in Europe.