Estonian PM Warns of Russia’s 'Shadow War' Against the West

The Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas reported in a commentary to the Associated Press that Russia is waging a “shadow war” against the West.

Officials believe that the tempo of such sabotaging activities from the Kremlin will only increase with time.

“What I would like to see is the recognition that these are not isolated events,” Kallas told AP. “Second, that we share information about this amongst ourselves. Third, make it as public as we can.” Russia seeks “to sow fear” and break Western support for Kyiv.

Since August 2023, a significant number of flights to and from Europe have reportedly encountered disruptions due to suspected Russian interference with GPS systems.

Just two days ago, the Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk reported Polish authorities arresting 9 men in connection with acts of sabotage linked to Russia’s intelligence services.

In recent months, authorities in Germany, Austria, and Estonia have arrested several other suspects for allegedly working for and collaborating with Russian intelligence in various capacities. In April, German police arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Russia. They were accused of collecting information on potential attack targets and agreeing to carry out arson and explosive attacks on military infrastructure.

Previously, European intelligence agencies alerted their respective governments that Russia was scheming to carry out violent acts of sabotage across the continent, including explosions, arson, and damage to infrastructure on European territory, directly and through cover persons.

Despite Russia being blamed for attacks in Europe for decades, Estonian officials and security experts have pointed out the absence of a collective mechanism to address them and have called for the EU to take more proactive measures.