German Navy Chief Exposes Sabotage of Warships Amid Growing Russian Threat to NATO

German Navy vessels have been repeatedly targeted by acts of sabotage since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, the head of Germany’s Navy revealed, German media outlet n-tv reported on February 11.

According to Kaack, “more than one ship” has been affected by these sabotage attempts, and there have been incidents of unauthorized access to naval bases both from land and sea.

“In our assessment, we are being tested. They are trying to undermine the confidence of our society—both at the national level and within the NATO alliance,” Kaack stated.

“They are laying the groundwork for potential future military actions.” He assured that the German Navy is taking appropriate countermeasures in response to these threats.

Kaack further emphasized that the “growing threat from Russia at the start of 2025 is more pressing than it was two years ago.” Intelligence services and military experts agree, he added, that Russia could be capable of initiating a military confrontation with NATO by 2029. He called for strategic planning to prepare for this possibility.

The remarks follow a recent incident at the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg, where workers discovered several kilograms of metal shavings inside the engine of the new German Navy corvette Emden just before its maiden launch.

If the shavings had not been detected in time, the corvette could have suffered serious damage, delaying its delivery to the Navy. While experts suggest the possibility of sabotage, the perpetrators remain unidentified.

Hamburg’s public prosecutor’s office and the criminal police declined to comment, Kaack did not explicitly confirm sabotage in this case.

Read more

Category

World

Russia’s “Eyes and Ears”—and Hands. How the Kremlin Recruits Europeans for Its Hybrid Warfare Against the West

Jan 23, 2025 14:48

The European Union has previously warned that Russia has ramped up sabotage activities across Europe since launching its war against Ukraine. Countries most affected include Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stated that Russia could be linked to over 100 “suspicious incidents” in Europe in 2024 alone.

Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service chief, Bruno Kahl, warned that Russian-backed sabotage in Western countries could prompt NATO to invoke Article 5 of its collective defense charter. He also noted that a direct military confrontation with NATO is becoming a “realistic option” for the Kremlin.

Earlier, the German military detected drones over its North Sea air base, monitoring Ukrainian forces training on the Patriot air defense system. The incidents occurred in January 2025, with a total of six recorded cases. Attempts were made to shoot down the drones, but they were unsuccessful.