Western Intelligence Links Wave of Defense Factory Sabotage Across Five European Countries to Russian GRU

Western intelligence officials cited by The Telegraph suspect Russia is running a covert sabotage campaign against European defense manufacturers supplying Ukraine, using local criminal intermediaries rather than GRU officers operating abroad 1234. Estonian prosecutors are investigating an August 15 fire at a Milrem Robotics facility in Tallinn as suspected sabotage, and Latvia has detained three of its citizens in connection with the incident 14. The pattern includes an August 10 explosion at Bulgaria's EMCO ammunition plant and an August 13 blast at the KNDS Ammo Italy facility near Rome, though Italian and Bulgarian officials have declined to attribute either to Russia 124. Earlier incidents cited include a fire that heavily damaged a Czech drone and thermal-imaging factory, with four suspects detained, and a 2024 attempted arson at a Lithuanian radio-wave scanner supplier for which six nationals of Spain, Colombia, Cuba, Russia and Belarus were charged in January 2026 12. Latvian State Security Service chief Normunds Mežviets told The Telegraph that GRU officers recruit through intermediaries on Telegram rather than traveling to target countries themselves 134. Western officials assess the attacks are deliberately kept below the threshold that would trigger NATO's Article 5 mutual defense clause, testing alliance responses while preserving deniability 1234.