Western intelligence officials say Russia has intensified assassination plots across Europe since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, targeting activists, defectors, military figures, and supporters of Ukraine.
Authorities in France, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, and Spain have disrupted or investigated alleged Russian-linked operations involving surveillance, bomb plots, shootings, and killings. Targets included Russian activist Vladimir Osechkin, Bashkortostan independence advocate Ruslan Gabbasov, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Officials say Russia increasingly relies on criminal proxies and recruited locals instead of intelligence officers, especially after many Russian operatives were expelled from Europe following the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal.
European security officials believe the operations are meant both to eliminate opponents and intimidate critics abroad. Russia denies involvement.
Source: AP