Russia’s alleged sabotage campaign in Europe raises fears of escalation

European officials accuse Russia of intensifying its shadow war in Europe, citing alleged fighter-jet incursions into Polish, Lithuanian and Estonian airspace and suspected Russian drones downed over Poland, Finland and the Baltic states. In October, Ukraine accused Moscow of using aerial and surface drones to sink four cargo ships near Bulgarian waters, potentially putting Ukrainian grain exports at risk. Russia and Belarus are also accused of trying to destabilise the Baltic states along their borders. Latvia’s ambassador to Greece, Ieva Cesniece, said masked individuals attempted to push migrants into Latvia and carried out sabotage that damaged border infrastructure.