Suspected Russian Sabotage Puts NATO Air Base on ‘High Alert’

A nato air base in Geilenkirchen, Germany, was put on high alert for 24 hours last week after threats of Russian sabotage, possibly involving drones.

The Geilenkirchen base, with its surveillance aircraft that can monitor territory as far as Ukraine and Russia, is a natural target.

Previous targets: There have been other cases of attempted Russian sabotage this year.

• In Germany’s Cologne-Wahn military base, used to transport Ukrainian soldiers training in Germany, a man cut through the fencing to reach the water supply.
• In a separate incident at Geilenkirchen, a man was stopped for trespassing.
• In Brunsbuettel, Germany, drones were sighted over a chemical park.
• Flensburg, Germany, reported another unspecified case of suspected sabotage.
• In Berlin, a metal factory was set on fire.
• There was a plot to assassinate the ceo of Rheinmetall, a major supplier of arms to Ukraine.
• In Lithuania and Poland, a mall and Ikea were set on fire; authorities believe Russia was involved in both cases.

Not all of these attacks were executed directly by the Russian government. Some were carried out indirectly through criminals found on the dark web.

Motivation: Russia is attempting to disrupt Europe’s supply of arms to Ukraine. It is also testing nato’s commitment to Article 5, which requires all members to intervene if another member is attacked or threatened.

Significance: These Russian attacks have exposed some flaws in Europe’s security that need to be addressed. They may encourage more cooperation between nations to fix the problem.

Watch for fear of Russia to prompt Europe to unite.