London – Wake up was spectacular: Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world, has been closed and plunged into the darkness. Over 1,000 flights have been laid, and another 100 have already detoured to other cities or returned to where they came in a crisis that has traveled around the world.
The closure was caused by a fire at a current substation three miles away that provided many of the airport’s important services. British police say there are no initial signs of foul play, and the London Firefighters have taken over an investigation from the anti-intellectuals.
However, in the absence of information shortly after the fire, the raucous tabloids in Britain were flapping up with speculation about Russian sabotage. Telegraph was wondering about the OP-ED headline. British radio presenter Nick Ferrari jokingly asked if anyone had seen Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On social media, users pointed to patterns of Russian sabotage, while others argued that fires were part of a broader strategy for the hybrid war.
It’s not difficult to see why people jump to such conclusions. The number of Russian sabotage attacks was carried out in NATO countries in Europe, almost tripling between 2023 and 2024 after increasing the quartile between 2022 and 2023.
According to the CSIS report, transportation and critical infrastructure are some of its main targets, with its main weapons and tactics including explosives, blunt or bordered equipment and electronic attacks.
Russia has denied accusations that it is coordinating its anti-disruption campaign across Europe.
In an article published by the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Oleksandr Daniluk, a former adviser of Ukrainian defense and intelligence, said that Savotage has gained higher priorities in Russia, and the European intelligence news community reports that the 236th Specialist Training Centre was created to “seriously expand sabotage.”
According to CSIS, about 27% of known attacks opposed transportation targets, another 27% opposed government targets, and 21% opposed critical infrastructure, including electrical grids, pipelines and subsea fiber optic cables.
On Friday, the Kremlin knew there would be more charges coming.
Shortly after the scale of Heathrow’s turmoil unfolded, Russian Security Council vice-chairman and former president Dmitry Medvedev addressed the Preferential Party X of British Prime Minister Kiel.
British officials told NBC News on Friday that there were “no signs of Russia’s involvement.”
However, Rusi’s senior associate Ha Hellyer said he was not surprised that people jumped into the conclusions about Russian sabotage at Heathrow.
“The disinformation and misinformation environment that we are leading many people assume that when something bad happens like this, we have a Russian fingerprint.
According to a report by CSIS, the increase in attacks appears to be linked to an increase in military aid from the European government to Ukraine, with many targets having links to Western aid to Ukraine, including companies that produce or ship weapons. The report also noted that no incidents were recorded in countries such as Serbia and Hungary that did not provide significant aid to Ukraine.
MI6 head Richard Moore previously described Russia’s actions as a “surprisingly reckless campaign” aimed at “soaking fear of supporting Ukraine.”
The timing of the Heathrow Fire followed an increase in British support for Ukraine as it added fuel to speculation, following the increase in British support for Ukraine, which attempted to intervene when Starme retreated.
However, Matthew Savill, director of military science at RUSI, said that while the timing may seem suspicious, the hermit’s actions “take time to plan and prepare.”
“It’s not easy to implement a plan and run it with a few days of notification,” he said in X.
The Associated Press has documented at least 59 cases in which Russia, its proxy or allied Belarus has been criticised by governments and staff for conduct in Europe, ranging from cyberattacks and promotional campaigns to sabotage, spying and assassination.
Last year, Western security officials said it was behind a conspiracy to plant bombs in German and British cargo planes as part of a wider sabotage campaign to launch fires on North American-bound aircraft.
According to NATO, Russia was behind a conspiracy to kill the head of the German weapons manufacturer that supplies weapons to Ukraine, but European authorities are also investigating damage to the Baltic Sea undersea infrastructure, with Finnish officials detaining a ship suspected of being part of the Russian “shadow fleet.”
In Britain, Russian opposition was poisoned in 2018 with military-grade neurological agent Novichok, and earlier this month three Bulgarians were found guilty of running Russian spyrings from British seaside resorts.
Ongoing interference by Russia created an environment in which Russian enemies felt uncomfortable, uneasy and slightly delusional.
“There are old proverbs in the film,” Helia said. “I might be paranoid, but that doesn’t mean that not everyone is trying to get me.”
Sabill warned that even if Russia has nothing to do with Heathrow, there are strategic consequences for mere recognition of vulnerability.
“If you look vulnerable, you’re less resilient,” he posted to X.
The CSIS report suggests that Russia’s secret sabotage in Europe was intended to erode public support for Ukraine by creating fear and uncertainty.
However, for now, public support for Ukraine remains high. A 2024 European Union survey showed strong support for the EU’s response to Russian invasions. 89% supported humanitarian aid, 84% supported welcoming refugees, and 72% approved sanctions against Russia.
