The Wall Street Journal: Putin personally approved a new wave of sabotage operations targeting NATO countries. One of the attacks narrowly avoided causing mass casualties in Germany.
In early August, drones carrying explosives struck Leipzig-Halle Airport, one of Europe’s key cargo hubs through which substantial military aid to Ukraine is routed.
A drone struck an Antonov freight aircraft but failed to detonate; a second impacted another plane; a third exploded near the airport perimeter. Investigators stated that had the attack succeeded fully, it would have resulted in significant loss of life.
U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that this operation was among the first actions in a new campaign of sabotage authorized directly by Putin. According to sources at the newspaper, the Kremlin expressed dissatisfaction: neither the ongoing war nor negotiations with the United States had compelled Ukraine to make concessions.
Western intelligence assessments indicate that these covert operations were led by units under General Afriyanov of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), with Colonel Smolyaninov linked to the Leipzig attack.
The scale of preparations was extensive: Russian operatives established a smuggling network, using Serbia as a transit route to transport explosives, weapons, and drones into the EU. Investigators identified clandestine bases and cache sites near airports and defense facilities. Serbian authorities have already detained seven suspects.
The drones used in the Leipzig attack contained Semtex explosives and utilized locally purchased German 5G SIM cards. Network tracing revealed connections to servers previously used by the GRU.
According to sources, German officials at the time evaluated that if the attack had caused major casualties, Germany might have considered invoking Article 5 of the NATO treaty on collective defense.
After the attack failed, a intermediary linked to the Kremlin issued a warning to German authorities: Leipzig would not be the last target.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1879683020974084/
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