Sarah Kirchberger’s Post

„For more than six months, Russia has been carrying out a sabotage campaign across Europe, largely by proxy. It has recruited local amateurs for everything from arson attacks on warehouses linked to arms for Ukraine to petty acts of vandalism — all designed to stymie the flow of weapons from the West to Ukraine and blunt public support for Kyiv. But the intelligence suggesting that Russia was willing to assassinate private citizens underlined to Western officials just how far Moscow was willing to go in a parallel shadow war it is waging across the west. Papperger was an obvious target: His company, Rheinmetall, is the largest and most successful German manufacturer of the vital 155mm artillery shells that have become the make-or-break weapon in Ukraine’s grinding war of attrition. The company is opening an armored vehicle plant inside of Ukraine in the coming weeks, an effort that one source familiar with the intelligence said was deeply concerning to Russia. After a series of gains earlier this year, Moscow’s war effort has once again stalled amid redoubled Ukrainian defenses and punishing losses in personnel. (…) Russia’s willingness to take lethal action against European citizens on foreign soil has raised difficult questions about how the alliance should respond. In theory under Article 5, an armed attack on a NATO member state is an attack on all.“ https://lnkd.in/ewuvXZHj

„Latvian and Estonian court documents are showing how the GRU is recruiting Baltic citizens to vandalize and set fire to targets in the West. Latvian authorities were able to track down a network of saboteurs recruited by the Russian special services. Relying on Latvian citizens, the network consists of operatives who have been dispatched to several countries on paid missions of subversion and provocation, all aimed at undermining Western support for Ukraine. Remarkably, this team was even assigned to burn down a military facility in Kyiv in January 2022, just a month before Russia’s full-scale invasion. “The goal already then was to instill fear among Ukrainian residents,” Normunds Mežviets, head of the State Security Service (VDD), told The Insider. “Just as Russia is now trying to do in Europe with acts of sabotage.” Indeed, such acts have grown exponentially throughout NATO countries in the last two years, coinciding with Russia’s faltering campaign on the battlefield. The efforts are part of what Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has dubbed the Kremlin’s “shadow war” against the West, whose resolve and determination in arming and supporting Kyiv has further contributed to Russian military setbacks. The sabotage operations are so numerous and widespread that a new one is uncovered and reported on every week or two. Plots have included arson attacks on a large-scale shopping mall in Warsaw, an IKEA warehouse in Vilnius, a museum in Riga, a bus depot in Prague, an industrial estate in east London, and a metals factory in Berlin where air defense systems are manufactured. In the last two instances, the sites have been linked to military aid bound for Ukraine. In total, at least eight serious Russia-linked incidents have been reported in Poland and the Baltic states alone. According to Western intelligence services, this continent-wide campaign is being led by the GRU, Russia’s military spy agency. Owing to Europe’s mass expulsion of Russian diplomats — many of them intelligence officers — following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, local recruitment efforts have increasingly given way to the virtual variety. The GRU selects its assets via social media platforms such as Telegram and instructs them to carry out everything from vandalism to terrorism to undermine Western support for Ukraine. The paydays range from between a few hundred and thousands of euros, often transmitted in cryptocurrency. In a joint investigation, The Insider and Re:Baltica, relying on exclusively obtained court documents and CCTV footage, can reveal how the GRU’s recruitment process works and who the individuals who agree to work for Russia are.“ Sönke Marahrens

Lesenswertes Interview von Hans Uwe Mergener mit Flottillenadmiral Axel Schulz, dem Kommandeur des Einsatzverbandes Indo-Pazifik, im marineforum online. Auszug: Frage: Was hat Sie persönlich bisher am meisten beeindruckt? Antwort: “Auf dem Transit von San Diego nach Hawaii erkrankte ein mexikanischer Marinesoldat schwer und wurde an Bord des EGV "Frankfurt am Main" verbracht. Unser Ärzteteam konnte dem Soldaten mit einer Not-OP das Leben retten. Unterm Strich hat die internationale Zusammenarbeit unter den befreundeten Marinen hervorragend funktioniert, auch wenn man bisher kaum Berührungspunkte hatte. Vom Notruf bis auf den OP-Tisch hat es nur 90 Minuten gedauert, das ist schon eine beachtenswerte Leistung. Das Marine Einsatz-Rettungszentrum (MERZ) mit seinen Profis von Ärzten und Sanitätsdienstpersonal hat mal wieder seinen operativen Wert als ein „Hauptwaffensystem“ des EGV eindrucksvoll unter Beweis gestellt.“ #IPD24 Dr. habil. Patricia Schneider

„Chinese and Belarusian troops started joint military exercises on Monday near the Belarusian city of Brest, five kilometers from the Polish border. The maneuvers, codenamed Eagle Assault, will last 11 days until July 19. Belarus has been one of Russia's closest allies following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, providing logistical support and air bases but not troops to join the fighting. Belarus on July 4 became the 10th member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a grouping promoted by Beijing and Moscow as a counterweight to Western influence. Iran, Pakistan and India are also members. Belarus and Russia have previously practiced deploying nuclear weapons and have held military drills together.“ https://lnkd.in/emjjiusr

„France has expelled the top official of the Chinese Ministry of State Security in Paris and his deputy. The decision, ordered by the Elysée Palace, followed their involvement in an attempted forced repatriation of Chinese dissident Ling Huazhan in March. On March 22, French border police thwarted the repatriation at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport. The incident, involving the head of the Chinese intelligence post in France, led to an investigation revealing their plan. Ling, targeted for anti-Xi Jinping actions, continues to face pressure from Chinese intelligence. Ling lived a solitary and precarious existence near the Saint Lazare train station, having fled to Europe as a refugee. He’d been targeted by China for “actions offensive to the Chinese president,” for anti-Xi Jinping graffiti and for defacing posters bearing Xi’s likeness. He also shared articles critical of the Chinese regime on social media. His passport was withheld as a means of pressure to get him to the airport. His identity document was allegedly stolen from a Chinese-run business near the Saint Lazare train station. According to the DGSI, the location functioned as a ghost “police station,” used by Beijing all over the world to enforce its own laws, particularly against its opponents. There are several such posts in Paris and throughout France. Per the DGSI, Ling has since continued to be subjected to “pressure from Chinese intelligence services.” He has reportedly received calls from his brother and aunt, under duress by the Chinese authorities, asking him to cease his activities.“ https://lnkd.in/eib_qk6S