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random act, but a calculated strike designed to maximize confusion and pressure. Across Europe, incidents of sabo-
tage and digital disruption are cur- rently mounting, increasing in fre- quency and in sophistication. Patterns have emerged in proxy recruitment, cross-border coordina- tion, and targeted strikes against vital infrastructure intended to cause rippling damage through both the economy and society. Recent unexplained incidents in Germany, France, Estonia, and else- where have the clear fingerprints of external interference. Yet, even as governments attempt
to respond with heightened security and expanded cooperation, these measures too often lag behind the threat’s pace. In the meantime, targeting Poland
makes strategic sense. To Moscow, sowing chaos in
Poland, whether through sabotage, espionage, or cyberattacks, offers leverage over the entire Western sup- ply chain, risking not only local dis- ruption but widespread fragmenta- tion along the alliance’s most critical border. Rail sabotage and other Polish incidents are emblematic of Rus- sia’s broader effort to seek out weak- nesses, test the resolve and unity of NATO, and apply psychological pressure to fracture trust and agree- ment.
Such hybrid attacks have included: In November 2024, two fiber-optic communications cables in the Baltic
ABLAZE In May 2024, a fire burned a vast shopping complex in Warsaw. Poland said that Russia was behind the attack.
Sea — one linking Finland and Ger- many, another between Sweden and Lithuania — were severed. In October 2022, saboteurs cut
Deutsche Bahn railway’s fiber-optic cables, crippling the train signaling network across northern Germany. Waves of arson attacks have hit commercial centers in Poland and Lithuania. In May 2024, a Warsaw shopping mall saw over 1,000 stores set ablaze at night. Poland said Russia was behind the attack. Russian agents have also been jam-
ming GPS systems across Europe, causing mayhem for airlines. In Sep- tember 2025, an aircraft carrying Euro- pean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen found itself jammed flying through Bulgarian airspace. In recent weeks, Russia’s partner
Belarus released air balloons into Lithuanian airspace, closing down the country’s commercial traffic. And all across Europe drone incur-
NATO Slow to React
M
oscow and its proxies are finding shelter among
organized criminals and radical groups, further blurring the lines between state and non-state action. It makes detection and
12 NEWSMAX | JANUARY 2026
sions are being made — including in France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and others, with most tar- geting airports, military bases, ports, nuclear facilities, and critical infra- structure.
According to a report by the Inter-
national Institute for Strategic Stud- ies (IISS) issued this summer, Rus- sian hybrid attacks against Europe have intensified dramatically in the past year. The report states that Moscow’s
strategy here is to force NATO coun- tries, especially Poland, to allocate more resources to homeland secu- rity and away from NATO’s eastern edge, including Ukraine. Russian President Putin told a
press conference recently his nation is “ready for war” with Europe. But for many, Russia has already
started the war — but NATO has yet to respond.
prosecution slow and challenging. Operational networks are
built to be several layers removed and hidden from their planners in Moscow. Institutional responses remain insuficient. NATO invokes collective
defense in response to major acts of infrastructure sabotage, but existing policies fall short of the
ongoing realities of daily risk. The unrelenting pace of
Russian escalation, driven by both Russian state action and the actions of loosely afiliated proxies, raises serious questions about whether national and regional responses by the EU and NATO can evolve quickly enough to combat the threat from Moscow. — L.D.
NATO/
ISTOCK.COM/ASBE / FIRE/AP PHOTO/NORBERT OFMANSKI
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