Russian attempts to recruit criminals for sabotage in Europe. Normunds Mezgviets, the head of Latvia’s State Security Service (SDB), says that Moscow is trying to enlist individuals from the criminal underworld to carry out sabotage operations in the country, Delfi reports.
“Last year, several incidents occurred on our territory that we are currently investigating,” Mezgviets states.
He adds that "we do not rule out their connection to tasks assigned by Russian intelligence services."
Arsons, trucks, and critical infrastructure: Russian agents’ plans
According to Mezgviets, a group uncovered in 2023:
- Set fire to a company working on a defense project;
- Planned arson attacks on trucks with Ukrainian license plates at critical infrastructure sites;
- Compiled lists of potential targets, including memorials, power facilities, warehouses with flammable goods, and military sites.
Former convicts and drug addicts are collecting information and carrying out sabotage either for money or voluntarily for ideological reasons.
Four arrested: Latvian security on alert
Currently, four individuals are in custody after arrests earlier this year, three of whom are Latvian citizens.
They are suspected of espionage, gathering data on Latvia’s civilian and military critical infrastructure, as well as organizations supporting Ukraine.
Mezgviets stresses that several other individuals remain under scrutiny, and the number of arrests could rise in the near future.
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