Was Undersea Cable Sabotage Part of a Larger Pattern?

Was the cutting of undersea cables part of a larger pattern? Russia and its proxies are accused by western officials of 'staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago,' reports the Associated Press.

That includes cyberattacks and committing acts of sabotage/vandalism/arson, as well as spreading propaganda and even plotting killings, according to the article. ('Western intelligence agencies uncovered what they said was a Russian plot to kill the head of a major German arms manufacturer that is a supplier of weapons to Ukraine...') The news agency documented 59 incidents 'in which European governments, prosecutors, intelligence services or other Western officials blamed Russia, groups linked to Russia or its ally Belarus.'

[Western officials] allege the disruption campaign is an extension of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war, intended to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine... The incidents range from stuffing car tailpipes with expanding foam in Germany to a plot to plant explosives on cargo planes. They include setting fire to stores and a museum, hacking that targeted politicians and critical infrastructure, and spying by a ring convicted in the U.K. Richard Moore, the head of Britain's foreign intelligence service, called it a 'staggeringly reckless campaign' in November...

The cases are varied, and the largest concentrations are in countries that are major supporters of Ukraine... In about a quarter of the cases, prosecutors have brought charges or courts have convicted people of carrying out the sabotage. But in many more, no specific culprit has been publicly identified or brought to justice.
Despite that, 'more and more governments are publicly attributing attacks to Russia,' the article points out.
This week a nonprofit, bipartisan think tank on global policy released a report which 'found that Russian attacks in Europe quadrupled from 2022 to 2023 and then tripled again from 2023 to 2024,' reports the New York Times.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland noted in a social media post on Monday that Lithuanian officials had confirmed his assessment that Russia was responsible for a series of fires in shopping centers in Warsaw and Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital...

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