**Russia's Covert Sabotage Campaign Intensifies Amid Ukraine Conflict**

The analysis reveals a dramatic increase in covert operations targeting critical infrastructure, potentially swaying European perceptions on support for Ukraine.

Russia has significantly ramped up its sabotage operations over the past two years as part of its strategy to pressure Western nations, particularly the United States and Europe, to decrease their backing for Ukraine. This information comes from a new report released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which aims to quantify the extent of Moscow's covert activities. It has been found that Russian-sponsored attacks on critical infrastructure such as undersea cables, warehouses, and rail networks have quadrupled from 2022 to 2023, with another tripling in the following year.

Seth G. Jones, the report's author and a former U.S. military advisor, emphasized that Russia's sabotage is employed in conjunction with traditional military operations in Ukraine. He explained that a direct military incursion into Baltic States or Finland is illogical; instead, Russia opts for more asymmetric tactics. By targeting the infrastructure and logistics of nations supplying weapons to Ukraine, Moscow has made it clear it can impose significant costs on its adversaries.

Recently, Russian operations appeared to ease, as reported by a Western official, possibly aligned with the U.S.'s proposals to end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. However, experts warn that if European governments initiate new strategies to bolster Ukraine with weaponry or peacekeepers, sabotage efforts may resume.

European leaders have expressed their frustration over Russian attacks. For instance, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk pointedly remarked in a social media posting that Lithuania had corroborated his claim attributing a series of fires in retail centers in Warsaw and Vilnius to Russia. "Good to know before negotiations," he stated, suggesting a need for vigilance against Russia's disruptive tactics.

Reactions in Europe towards the U.S.-led movement to cease hostilities could be steered by public outrage against Russia's actions. Although evidence suggests that last year's sabotage campaign did not yield substantial results, the evolving dynamics of U.S. support for Ukraine lead to speculation regarding the potential effectiveness of Russian tactics in swaying European policymakers' stances in the future.