Czech, Latvian and Swedish intelligence chiefs assess growing Russian threat
Intelligence chiefs from Czechia, Latvia and Sweden have warned that Russia could intensify sabotage operations across Europe in the coming months, while offering different assessments of the risk of a direct Russian attack on NATO territory.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs warned that most NATO countries would struggle to defend against a Russian missile attack if the conflict escalates. He highlighted the rapid advancements in drone warfare in Ukraine, which are outpacing current preparations for air warfare and could become obsolete by mid-next year. Rinkēvičs noted that air defense, counter-drone, and missile defense systems face significant challenges, a problem also affecting all of Europe and NATO.
He emphasized that a Russian missile attack on European territory would pose a serious challenge for many countries to handle. In September, a Russian official suggested that Warsaw could be eliminated within two or three days in the event of military action against Russia. Ukrainian experts pointed out that Moscow had previously expected to capture Kyiv swiftly and later blamed delays on unanticipated factors.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated that, with overwhelming air power and modern long-range weapons, Poland and its allies could swiftly defeat Russia if it attacked. Russian forces carried out a drone attack on a passenger train's locomotive near the Polish border on September 13, causing no injuries. On September 17, another drone crash near Ukraine's border with Poland in Volyn Oblast was reported.
The Polish Prime Minister claimed this drone targeted key infrastructure during a gas station strike. The Institute for the Study of War concluded that the attack aimed to harm or kill European government officials traveling from Ukraine. Russian strikes near the international Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing aimed at injuring or killing high-profile individuals, including former European officials.
In another incident, a Danish military helicopter was targeted with signal flares from a Russian frigate on September 14. Intelligence revealed plans and preparations for Russian sabotage at Danish defense industry companies, with the sabotage plans uncovered on September 3.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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