Kathrine Frich
European intelligence officials are warning of a new phase in Russia’s shadow war against the West.
Rather than tanks or missiles, the concern centers on property deeds, safe houses and covert infrastructure.
Security sources say Moscow may be laying groundwork for sabotage operations across the continent.
Alleged property network
Current and former intelligence officials told The Telegraph that Russian agents have been purchasing properties near sensitive military and civilian sites in at least a dozen European countries.
According to the report, these homes could be used as surveillance hubs, drone launch sites or bases for covert operations.
Some buildings may already be stocked with equipment or positioned for future activation, officials claimed, though no public evidence has been presented to confirm specific locations.
The Kremlin has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Hybrid war tactics
Western intelligence services say the suspected activity forms part of a broader “hybrid war” strategy, blending cyberattacks, sabotage and covert operations while avoiding direct military confrontation.
Sabotage incidents linked by European authorities to Russia have increased since the invasion of Ukraine, including arson attacks, parcel bomb plots and alleged assassination attempts.
One intelligence officer told The Telegraph: “A sabotage campaign is less likely to produce consensus around Article 5,” referring to NATO’s collective defence clause.
By staying below the threshold of open warfare, analysts say Moscow may be seeking to exploit divisions within the alliance.
Rising tensions
MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli recently warned that Britain is operating “in a space between peace and war,” describing Russia as probing for vulnerabilities short of full-scale conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has gone further, claiming that Moscow has effectively already expanded the conflict beyond Ukraine.
“Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that strengthening Russia’s nuclear triad “remains an absolute priority” during remarks marking Defender of the Fatherland Day.
“The development of the nuclear triad, which serves as a guarantee of Russia’s security and effectively ensures strategic deterrence and the balance of power in the world, remains an absolute priority,” Putin said.
Only four countries, the United States, Russia, India and China, are widely recognized as maintaining a full nuclear triad capability.
Sources: The Telegraph, BBC, The Sun.
