A camera-equipped drone hovers above a training site at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, in March 2024. U.S. authorities issued a joint statement Nov. 21, 2024, saying American defense-related sites in Europe should bolster security to guard against Russian sabotage. (Ayden Norcross/U.S. Army National Guard )
STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. authorities say American defense industrial sites in Europe should step up their security over concerns that Russian saboteurs could target them.
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the FBI and several Defense Department agencies issued a joint statement Thursday saying the Kremlin has recruited criminals and other proxies to conduct such operations.
“U.S. companies, particularly those supporting entities involved in the Ukraine conflict or other ongoing geopolitical conflicts, are encouraged to enhance their vigilance and security efforts as a precaution,” the statement said.
The warning comes after a series of suspected Russian sabotage actions this week that included the severing of undersea communication cables running from Germany to Finland and elsewhere.
Over the past year, there have been indications of Russia getting more brazen in its sabotage efforts in Europe. Numerous acts of arson and the attempted assassination of a German defense industrial leader are among the operations that have been carried out attempted, according to allies.
In July, Russian sabotage also was suspected when a package caught fire at a DHL logistics center before being loaded onto a cargo plane in the eastern German city of Leipzig.
Package fires occurred in the same month in Poland and Britain. The senders’ intent was to do a test run on delivery channels for such packages, which were ultimately destined for the U.S. or Canada, a Polish prosecutor told the BBC in November.
Gen. Darryl Williams, the U.S. Army’s top commander in Europe, said in October that the situation is increasing the risks of a broader military escalation should Russian agents take things too far.
“We could tumble into this thing because of the people that are currently snooping around Europe and causing mischief in all of our backyards,” Williams said during an Army conference in Washington.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said earlier this month that Russia is intensifying its campaign of hybrid attacks across allied territories, “sabotaging industry and committing violence.”
“This shows that the shifting front line in this war is no longer solely within Ukraine,” Rutte said during a news conference in Berlin. “Increasingly, the front line is moving beyond borders — to the Baltic region, to Western Europe and even to the High North.”
The United States is involved in an array of military and defense industry efforts in Europe. In Bavaria, for instance, American and European companies are coordinating with NATO to produce 1,000 Patriot air defense missiles at a new factory, according to NATO.
In June, U.S. military bases were put on heightened alert in connection with potential threats to installations across the Continent.
While the Pentagon never specified the nature of the threat, CNN reported in July that the move came in response to information that Russia-backed actors were considering sabotage attacks against American military personnel and facilities.
