"Russia has created a network of agents to conduct its hybrid war against Europe. The network brings together government agencies and organized crime and Russian-speaking men with criminal records are being recruited to carry out acts of sabotage, according to a study. "The study situates Moscow's tactics against the backdrop of its full-scale war on Ukraine, showing that hybrid operations are not a side theatre but a central pillar of Russian strategy," the researchers explain in their introduction."
"They compared these tactics to the approach of the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS) terror group that recruited "former criminals who went on to carry out violent attacks in the Levant and Europe." The researcher explained that "today, a new crime-terror nexus has emerged in Europe this time orchestrated by a state actor Russia.""
"According to the study, between January 2022 and July 2025, 110 acts of sabotage and attempted attacks were carried out in Europe, mainly in Poland and France, by people with links to Russia. "Of those, 89 were carried out successfully, while 21 were foiled," the researchers wrote, adding that the number of disrupted plots is likely to be "significantly higher, as intelligence services do not always disclose such information publicly." They identified 131 perpetrators, of whom at least 35 had previous criminal involvement and were recruited through criminal organizations or from penal colonies."
Russia has created a network combining state agencies and organized crime to conduct hybrid warfare across Europe. The network recruits Russian-speaking men with criminal records and draws on penal colonies and criminal organizations for operatives. Hybrid operations serve as a central pillar of Russian strategy amid the full-scale war on Ukraine. Tactics parallel past extremist recruitment models that leveraged former criminals for violent attacks. Between January 2022 and July 2025, 110 acts of sabotage and attempted attacks occurred in Europe, mainly in Poland and France. Of these, 89 succeeded and 21 were foiled. Investigations identified 131 perpetrators, at least 35 with prior criminal involvement.
Read at www.dw.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]