Russia is ramping up sabotage across Europe
The Kremlin believes it is in a shadow war with NATO
THE FIRE that broke out in the Diehl Metall factory in the Lichterfelde suburb of Berlin on May 3rd was not in itself suspicious. The facility, a metals plant, stored sulphuric acid and copper cyanide, two chemicals that can combine dangerously when ignited. Accidents happen. What raised eyebrows was the fact that Diehl’s parent company makes the IRIS-T air-defence system which Ukraine is using to parry Russian missiles. There is no evidence that this fire was an act of sabotage. If the idea is plausible it is because there is ample evidence that Russia’s covert war in Europe is intensifying.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The shadow war”
Europe May 18th 2024
- Germany’s government is barely holding together
- Volodymyr Zelensky’s five-year term ends on May 20th
- Russia is ramping up sabotage across Europe
- Meet Gabriel Attal, France’s young prime minister
- Turkish women should soon be allowed to keep their maiden names
- The EU’s best-laid plans for expansion are clashing with reality
More from Europe
Russian trainee pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians
Residents of Kherson are dodging murderous drones
Can the good ship Europe weather the Trumpnado?
Tossed by political storms, the continent must dodge a new threat
Spain’s proposed house tax on foreigners will not fix its shortage
Pedro Sánchez will need the opposition’s help to increase supply
A French-sponsored Ukrainian army brigade has been badly botched
The scandal reveals serious weaknesses in Ukraine’s military command
A TV dramatisation of Mussolini’s life inflames Italy
With Giorgia Meloni in power, the fascist past is more relevant than ever
France’s new prime minister is trying to court the left
François Bayrou gambles with Emmanuel Macron’s economic legacy