A Russian-speaking Estonian, posing as a 26-year-old named Valeri Ivanov, responded to a Telegram post calling for European citizens to carry out acts of sabotage in their home countries.
There Are More of You
This message, promoted through pro-Kremlin channels, offered payment for various forms of sabotage, including spying on military bases, arson, and even assassination.
The messages referenced recent incidents in Romania, showing footage of industrial fires. "They’re scared there will be more of you… and there are more of you," the post read, urging potential recruits to send a simple greeting: "Privet" (hello).
"Ivanov," however, was not real — he was part of an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), according to Ziare.
Despite the deception, the recruiter quickly responded, offering up to $10,000 in cryptocurrency for acts of sabotage. They asked Ivanov to film himself testing a Molotov cocktail in a forest, a step before receiving further instructions and payment.
Every NATO Country Reports Sabotage
Western officials say such recruitment incidents have spiked across Europe since early this year, with concerns that many small-time criminals or those with past convictions may have answered the calls.
Authorities in NATO countries have reported increasing cases of sabotage, arson, and espionage, which they suspect are linked to Russian agents.
Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that nearly every NATO country had reported sabotage attempts since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Experts believe the Kremlin aims to destabilize European governments, weaken their support for Ukraine, and demonstrate Russia’s ability to create chaos within NATO borders.
Russian intelligence activities, including cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, have been well-documented for years, but the recent increase in physical attacks and sabotage marks a worrying trend.
