Lauge Risom Koch 
A Russian resistance group known as Black Spark claims it is carrying out sabotage operations against military, transport and energy infrastructure inside Russia. According to The Daily Mail, the movement says its goal is to weaken Vladimir Putin’s war effort and lay the groundwork for what it describes as the future “de-Putinisation” of Russia.
A little-known Russian resistance movement claims it is carrying out sabotage operations deep inside Russia in an effort to weaken Vladimir Putin’s ability to continue the war in Ukraine.
According to The Daily Mail, the group, known as Black Spark, says it has built a clandestine network targeting military infrastructure, railways, fuel depots and energy facilities across Russia.
A campaign of sabotage
Black Spark is publicly represented by Igor Volobuev, a former Russian banking executive who defected to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion and later joined the fight against Moscow.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Volobuev said the group’s objective is to undermine the Kremlin’s economic and military capabilities, particularly by targeting Russia’s oil industry.
“Black Spark’s mission is to deplete the economic potential of Putin’s regime. Particular emphasis is placed on crippling the oil industry as the regime’s lifeblood,” he told The Daily Mail.
Claims of attacks
According to The Daily Mail, Black Spark claims responsibility for a series of attacks on railway infrastructure, locomotives, fuel tankers, oil facilities and gas pipelines.
The group has published videos that it says show operatives carrying out arson attacks and planting explosive devices at strategic sites.
Among the targets allegedly struck were railway lines used to transport military equipment and energy infrastructure linked to Russia’s defense sector.
Growing resistance?
Volobuev told The Daily Mail that Black Spark has supporters embedded throughout Russian society, including within government institutions and major companies.
“There are enough people in Russia who hate Putin and his gang.”
He argues that economic difficulties, battlefield losses and political repression are creating conditions for broader resistance inside Russia.
“Putin is leading Russia toward disaster. His goal is to cling to power at any cost. He is drowning Russia in blood, repression, poverty, ruin, and degradation,” he said.
Long-term goals
The group says its ultimate aim is what it calls the “de-Putinisation” of Russia, arguing that the country must move beyond the political system built during Putin’s more than two decades in power.
“Russia needs de-Putinisation,” he said, “We need a trial of Putinism.”
According to The Daily Mail, Black Spark believes sustained pressure on the Kremlin could eventually contribute to political change inside Russia.
“There is only one way to stop Putin – through the collective efforts of the entire West, to knock his teeth out. You are far stronger than him, yet you behave like a helpless, spineless amoeba.”
Sources: The Daily Mail
