Russia's crackdown on sabotage: Threat of 20‑year prison terms

Russian authorities, without providing details of the incidents, reported that from 18th December to 26th December, 55 arsons and explosions took place in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Tver, Tula, Krasnoyarsk, the Altai region, and eastern Russia. A total of 44 individuals were detained by internal affairs officers and other law enforcement agencies.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the individuals responsible for the crimes were primarily older adults and retirees. However, younger people, including pupils and students, were also involved in pursuing quick financial gains.

According to the statement, the suspects followed directions provided by unidentified individuals via phone or online messaging platforms. Promises of monetary rewards were common incentives in the scheme. Additionally, it was alleged that Ukrainian special services orchestrated these crimes.

The Russian agency Interfax reported the case. Following this, Russian-language opposition and independent outlets such as Mediazona noted that 55 acts of sabotage in a week would be a record. From autumn 2022 to spring 2023, there was a wave of arson attacks in Russia against military recruitment offices conducting army mobilisation.

- I believe that this statement has a purely propaganda tone. Russian authorities fear such actions; they don't know who is organising them and appeal to the public to avoid making suspicious contacts over the Internet. At the same time, they intimidate the public: beware of such people. Something could happen to you too - comments Major Dr Anna Grabowska-Siwiec, a former counterintelligence officer of the Internal Security Agency.

She points out that the Russian report does not detail investigations or incidents, so it is not certain that the series of diversions mentioned in the article actually occurred in Russia.

- It is true that services intensively use so-called proxy agents, recruiting people via the Internet to carry out relatively simple actions, for example, for money or due to motivations stemming from political emotions or personal frustrations. The "agents" often may not be aware that they are working for the services - explains the former ABW officer.

Below is a report from the media and police on an attempted arson of a petrol station in Krasnoyarsk.

- Ukraine likely does not have the capability to conduct small-scale sabotage operations in Russia on a large scale. This requires teams of people focused on this target type, performing work on selecting people to acquire, etc. Meanwhile, Ukraine lacks people for physical combat to defend the country. I think Ukrainian services prefer to carry out spectacular actions, such as the destruction of the Nord Stream II pipeline or the recent assassination attempt on a general's life - comments Maj. Anna Grabowska-Siwiec.

- They stir emotions, aiming to intimidate Russian authorities - she emphasises.

In mid-December, an assassination attempt was made on General Igor Kiryilov, the head of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defence in the Russian army. He died after a bomb placed in an electric scooter left by the home's entrance exploded.

The general's killing is attributed to the use of "proxy" agents recruited by Ukrainian intelligence. The explosive device was allegedly planted by an Uzbek citizen recruited through social media, according to unofficial information from Russian media.

Meanwhile, among cases involving Russian "proxy" agents are individuals recruited to monitor train movements from Poland to Ukraine, transporting military supplies. Two Poles associated with the hooligan movement were allegedly set to beat Leonid Volkov, one of the leaders of the Russian opposition and former head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation in Russia, in Vilnius.

In Germany, a case of immigrants of Russian origin who were investigating NATO facilities for possible sabotage was revealed.