From $7 graffiti to arson and a bomb plot: How Russia’s ‘shadow war’ on NATO members has evolved

From $7 graffiti to arson and a bomb plot: How Russia’s ‘shadow war’ on NATO members has evolved

Where Russia has dismissed the claims as unfounded. A senior NATO official, though, is accusing Moscow of engaging in a bold sabotage operation across NATO member states. For more than six months. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reports. US bases in Europe are on the highest alert for a decade. This key American and Polish supply hub an hour from Ukraine, peppered with air defense. And this Ukrainian cargo plane from Norway, a major part of NATO’s weapons supplies to Kiev. You’re watching an odd paradox. The largest, loudest arming effort of our times. Happening in near secrecy. Fences obscuring what they can. The main reason the threat of Russian sabotage. Persistent rail growing across Europe along the supply lines to the Ukrainian border. Here, where supply hubs like these have never really been more vital for Ukraine trying to hold the front line. But a senior NATO officials told me of a 6 to 9 months effort by Russia to sabotage NATO weapons supplies into Ukraine. Fair bit of it going right down these tracks. Now, they described it as something that is against, at times the point of production, against those making the decisions, against the storage of the weapons, or even that actual delivery saying the operation has been bold. It too is something in the shadows with a huge potential for escalation. This is the moment first broadcast here. A vast saboteur operation in Poland gave itself away. Caught on camera is Maxime, a 24 year old Ukrainian living here, recruited online by Russian agents who first just asked him to daub anti-war graffiti, filmed buying a lot of energy drinks, a move that led Polish agents to arrest him and 15 others because he dropped a receipt from here at a crime scene. His Russian handler, Andrei, had begun asking for much more. Positioning cameras, some here overlooking these tracks to Ukraine, others where Poland trains Ukrainian troops. And for Maxime to commit arson. In all, it got him six years in jail. Amazing how the Russians just recruiting people straight off telegram who find themselves here at maximum security. He gave our producer a rare interview inside. We could not record. So an actor is voicing his words. It was easy money. I needed money badly. I didn’t think any of it could cause any harm. It seemed so insignificant when Andre told me to install cameras where poles were training Ukrainian soldiers. That’s when I knew it could be serious. It made me feel uneasy. That was when I decided I’d quit. But I never got a chance. I got arrested the next day. Put together suspected Russian sabotage is quite widespread, with arson around Poland at an ammo depot and even a shopping center. Concerns voiced over a fire at a key Berlin metals factory. Czech officials have pointed at Russia over railway hacking. France arrested a pro-Russian separatists plotting to blow up a Paris hardware store. And last month, intelligence chiefs warned on a Swedish island close to Russia, there was an increased risk of sabotage of weapons bound for Ukraine. But it gets fiercer here, right next to Russia and Estonia. Russia’s appetite to disrupt led them at this tense border crossing 1st May night to sneak out in these thermal camera images and remove the boys, marking where Estonia ends and Russia begins literally removing the border tank traps and razor wire. Speak of how bad it’s got. Estonian GPS signals have been jammed in the skies above. Russians film us filming them. Your job is also to to filter out any of the Russian agents who might be being used to come in to hybrid attacks, right? All the time, 24 seven. And trying to filter those people out. I think the Russians now are trying to see how we will react to different things. Security officials say Russia is using amateurs here, too. Ten people arrested in February after an attack on the Estonian interior minister’s car. Fears the Ukraine war may in the future make Russians more aggressive still. We saw, significant rise in their activity in the last autumn. We have seen it moving towards physical, attacks. Yes, they are at the moment where against more against property. There are people who take part in the war against Ukraine. They have more experience. Their mindset is more violent. They are perhaps not so patient anymore, trying to get results. A shadowy standoff where the unthinkable in a matter of months becomes reality. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Northern Estonia.

Russia has been engaged in a “bold” sabotage operation across NATO’s member states for more than six months, targeting the supply lines of weapons for Ukraine and the decision-makers behind it, according to a senior NATO official. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reports. #CNN #news

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