Main image: Margo Palloson by Priit Mürk/ERR
The Russian Federation is making “systematic” and planned attempts to carry out sabotage and cyberattacks targeting European arms companies, Estonian intelligence chief Margo Palloson said, according to BTA.
According to him, the focus of Russian intelligence services’ sabotage activities has shifted from symbolic targets to key defence industry companies across Europe. The main objective of these operations is to disrupt, delay or disorganise deliveries of military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has been defending the country against Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years.
Palloson stressed that the overall number of recorded attacks has remained consistently high over the past three years, while the level of danger has increased significantly due to a shift towards more dangerous methods involving explosives. As a direct example of this escalation, the intelligence chief cited a foiled attack involving an explosives-laden drone at Leipzig Airport in Germany.
Estonia has also officially accused Russia of organising an arson attack against facilities belonging to Milrem Robotics, a company that has been producing advanced unmanned military systems for Ukraine since 2022. Against this background, Estonia has urged all European defence companies to strengthen their physical and cybersecurity measures as much as possible.
Estonia, a Baltic country that shares a border with Russia and has been a consistent supporter of Ukraine, regularly faces hybrid pressure itself. Nevertheless, Estonian intelligence has managed to prevent a significant number of acts of sabotage in recent years.
Experts stress that the systematic nature of Russian operations in Europe requires collective security measures by NATO and EU member states, stronger counterintelligence measures and continuous monitoring of defence industry supply chains.
