Russia is increasingly resorting to sabotage in Europe, carrying out increasingly overt attacks on Western infrastructure. But the West is resorting to euphemisms and is afraid to directly acknowledge that Putin’s actions are effectively open warfare, Phillips Payson O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, wrote in an article for The Atlantic.
Last month, the Estlink 2 undersea power cable connecting Estonia and Finland was cut. Shortly after the Estlink 2 sabotage, Finnish authorities seized the Eagle S, an oil tanker en route from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Egypt, which was packed with advanced surveillance equipment. Finnish authorities concluded that the Eagle S had dragged its anchor “tens of kilometers” along the bottom of the Baltic Sea in an attempt to breach the Estlink 2 line.
“Clearly, cutting a power line is a less overt form of aggression than the full-scale invasion that Putin has launched in Ukraine. However, the general theme is that Russia is using force to undermine the independence of a recognized country and its ability to resist,” the expert notes.
There are many other cases of sabotage across the European continent at strategically important sites – munitions factories, key railway lines, warehouses and shopping malls.
Investigators believe Russia is behind the attacks. However, European officials seem afraid to admit what is happening, refusing to use the word “war” to describe Moscow’s actions outside Ukraine, the expert notes.
“Different euphemisms serve different purposes. Putin prefers special military operations because he does not want to publicly admit that he is waging a brutal war against Ukrainians. Many in Europe avoid describing Russia’s subversive campaign outside Ukraine as a war because they would rather do nothing in response,” he emphasizes.
However, European officials would do well to honestly acknowledge reality, O'Brien writes:
“The combination of Putin’s aggression and Trump’s indifference should be an opportunity for Europe to take responsibility for its own defense. The first important step in this realization is to recognize what is already happening: to call war a war.”
Europe and Russia
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking about the situation in Europe, noted that it is not at war, but it is not at peace either. Russia is intensifying its destabilization campaign against Western countries.
Earlier, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that up to 100 cyberattacks and sabotage in Europe could be linked to Russia. Officials agree that Russia is waging a hybrid war against Europe.