Military expert: Suspicious string of incidents recorded across Europe in August
Latvian National Armed Forces Major Jānis Slaidiņš said on TV24 that several suspicious incidents occurred across Europe in August, pointing to possible hybrid warfare activity. These included a fire in Estonia, a foiled assassination plot in Poland, and explosions at factories in Bulgaria and Italy.
Major Jānis Slaidiņš of the Latvian National Armed Forces, who also serves as an officer at the National Guard staff, discussed a series of incidents that occurred across Europe in August during the TV24 programme on the war in Ukraine, saying they point to increased hybrid activity on the continent.
Arrests in Estonia and Poland
In Estonia, three Latvian citizens were detained on suspicion of deliberately starting a fire at a building belonging to defence company DefSec Robotics. Investigators are also examining a possible link to Russia.
In Poland, security services detained a Russian citizen who, according to investigators, had been recruited by Russian intelligence to kill a US and Ukrainian citizen.
Explosions at factories in Bulgaria and Italy
In Bulgaria, an explosion occurred in August at the EMKO weapons factory, which produces artillery shells. In Italy, a similar incident hit a plant producing munitions and solid rocket fuel.
Events in the Netherlands and Germany
In the Netherlands, an explosion occurred at a company-owned facility in the port of Rotterdam, while a major power outage temporarily halted operations at several petrochemical plants. In Germany, increased drone activity has been reported near military facilities.
Slaidiņš stressed that, taken together, these events warrant closer attention to the hybrid activities currently taking place across Europe.
