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
Discover more
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
A rise in antisemitism puts Europe’s liberal values to the test
The return of Europe’s oldest scourge
Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
As an election looms its business model is breaking down