Europe has experienced a marked escalation in suspected Russian sabotage operations against military and defence-related sites since early August, coinciding with intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine. Germany's interior minister has now formally blamed Russia for a drone incident at Leipzig airport in early August, while a string of suspicious fires and arson attempts have hit defence facilities across Italy, Bulgaria, Estonia, Slovakia, Poland and Germany, prompting warnings from officials that Moscow is intensifying "hybrid" tactics against the continent.

Incidents include a fire and explosion at an ammunition plant near Rome, a blaze at a drone manufacturer in Tallinn, an averted arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned drone firm in Slovakia, and attacks on Polish defence and helicopter-component firms, with two Bulgarians arrested in Munich in September over a similar plot. Experts, including Daniela Richterova of King's College London, say the unusual concentration of attacks reflects pressure on Russia following Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russian territory, while the Kremlin has dismissed the accusations as "absurd".