00:00Across Europe, sabotage continues to happen, though no one knows who's behind it.
00:03Bombs are detonating at substations, trains are abruptly grinding to a halt,
00:06and drones are buzzing through NATO airspace.
00:08Infrastructure and various facilities across Europe are genuinely under attack right now.
00:12It really is a mystery who's behind it, but Europe is descending into chaos over this sabotage.
00:15Today, let's take a proper look at this. Let's dive right in.
00:17Before that, if you want the fastest international news available domestically,
00:20please make sure to watch SVH News. I'd really appreciate it. Use the link.
00:22Right now in Europe, suspicious incidents that look like various military provocations
00:26and acts of sabotage are occurring one after another.
00:28For those of you wondering what sabotage is, let me explain in advance.
00:31It's essentially a type of covert operation involving destruction, arson,
00:35and attacks on specific facilities. That is what we call sabotage.
00:38But this kind of sabotage is happening all across the region.
00:40Just this week alone, it broke out in the Netherlands, Lithuania, Denmark, and other places.
00:43In the Netherlands, obstacles such as pipes were discovered at over 30 railway locations
00:47across the central and northern networks.
00:48For safety reasons, train services were completely halted,
00:51bringing rail traffic to a paralyzed standstill.
00:53To make matters worse, because this happened during the morning rush hour,
00:56it sparked utter chaos.
00:57The railway operator, ProRail, determined that the object was replaced deliberately by someone,
01:02defining it as an act of sabotage against the railway infrastructure.
01:05Dutch intelligence agencies, police, and prosecutors have now launched an investigation.
01:09Additionally, at a highway interchange, someone dumped truckloads of horse manure
01:12and set it on fire, blocking access to the highway.
01:15Also in Lithuania, an unidentified drone intruded into their airspace,
01:18and an Italian fighter jet operating under NATO command pursued and shot it down.
01:21This drone was flying near Kanes, Lithuania's second-largest city.
01:25Lithuania's defense minister revealed that it carried explosives.
01:28He also stated that it was a provocation by Russia.
01:31Furthermore, on September 14th in the Baltic Sea,
01:33a Russian warship fired two flares at a Danish military helicopter,
01:37with one flare passing dangerously close to the aircraft
01:39in another provocative act against Danish forces.
01:41Immediately after the incident, Danish authorities summoned Vladimir Barbin,
01:44the Russian ambassador to Denmark, to lodge a protest.
01:47But the Russian side shifted the blame for the incident onto Denmark.
01:50Ambassador Barbin also expressed the view that this was not the first time
01:53a Danish Air Force helicopter had engaged in dangerous maneuvers
01:55near a Russian warship in international waters outside territorial seas.
01:59And on September 13th, a Russian drone attacked a Ukrainian railway facility
02:03just two kilometers away from the Polish border,
02:05and as a result, a passenger train heading to Warsaw from Kiev was also destroyed.
02:09The problem is that nearby trains were also carrying various EU diplomatic officials,
02:13including high-profile figures like former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson,
02:17and pulling off something like this while they were on board
02:18demonstrated intense pressure against the EU.
02:21As you can see, the situation unfolding in Europe right now is quite serious.
02:23Of course, there is still a lot that hasn't been properly uncovered,
02:26so we shouldn't jump to conclusions about any specific country.
02:28But European security authorities are linking various sabotage incidents
02:31occurring in NATO member states,
02:32suspecting that a significant number of them
02:34could be linked to Russian intelligence agencies.
02:37Experts say that Russia is targeting European countries
02:39supporting Ukraine to increase their military and social burdens,
02:42raising the possibility that it is carrying out various forms of covert operations
02:46to test how far NATO is willing to respond.
02:48Of course, not all incidents have been confirmed to be backed by Russia.
02:50In fact, the 165 cases compiled by German authorities
02:53are not all confirmed to have been committed by Russia.
02:55Instead, there are cases under investigational analysis
02:57due to suspected sabotage.
02:58But looking at the numbers, the scale of the situation
03:00is considerable in itself.
03:02According to data compiled from January to August this year
03:04by the German Federal Prosecutor General,
03:06and the Federal Criminal Police Office,
03:07BCAA, suspected sabotage cases reached 165.
03:09These include incidents involving damage to or targeting of critical infrastructure,
03:13like the power grid or railways,
03:14as well as attempted arson targeting major facilities.
03:16In addition, 112 espionage-related crimes were identified,
03:19of which more than 60 cases were classified
03:21as unauthorized filming or observation of military installations or war materiel.
03:25Furthermore, in some incidents,
03:26authorities suspect that intelligence gathering
03:27was carried out to prepare for sabotage.
03:29And there is a number that stands out even more.
03:31German critical infrastructure and military facilities,
03:33no fewer than 747 cases of suspicious drones
03:36were spotted near defense contractors,
03:38with the total number of confirmed drone flights
03:40in the process reaching 1,068.
03:42In other words,
03:42this isn't just about a single drone appearing once.
03:44Cases of repeated flights around sensitive facilities
03:46across multiple regions have accumulated.
03:48In particular with drones,
03:49there's the problem that it's difficult
03:50to identify the operator on the spot.
03:52In fact, German authorities have also stated
03:54that they are struggling to track down
03:56the people flying these drones.
03:57Some cases later turn out to have no connection to espionage,
03:59so the mere fact that a drone was spotted
04:01doesn't definitively prove it was in operation
04:02by a foreign intelligence agency.
04:04But why does this matter?
04:05Looking at the confirmed cases in Germany,
04:07the targets of attack or reconnaissance
04:08aren't limited to a single sector.
04:10They range from critical infrastructure
04:11like railways and power grids
04:12to military installations
04:13and even defense contractors.
04:16In particular,
04:17the repeated spotting of drones
04:18around military facilities and defense companies
04:20is something German authorities have no choice
04:22but to take very seriously.
04:23In fact,
04:24German authorities have investigated an incident this year
04:26where a suspect,
04:27believed to be acting under orders from Russian intelligence,
04:29used the drone to conduct reconnaissance
04:31on defense company facilities.
04:32The timing of these moves in Germany is also critical.
04:34It's a way to steadily strain
04:36Europe's military support system
04:37and key infrastructure
04:38while avoiding direct military confrontation
04:40between Russia and NATO.
04:41The German government
04:42also pointed to Russian involvement
04:44regarding the recent incident
04:45at Leipzig slash Halley Airport
04:46involving an explosive-laden drone,
04:48which Russia denies.
04:49However,
04:50as German authorities continue to monitor
04:51sabotage, espionage,
04:53and suspicious drone flights
04:54not as separate issues
04:54but collectively through the lens of national security,
04:56it carries significant weight.
04:57Still,
04:58European authorities aren't handling this
04:59particularly well either.
05:00The Financial Times recently reported
05:01that Europe's response
05:02to Russia's hybrid warfare offensive
05:03is failing to adequately deter it,
05:05pointing out that attacks
05:06are repeatedly bordering on the threshold
05:08that could trigger NATO's collective defense clause.
05:10Article 5?
05:10Article 5 of NATO
05:12is the principle
05:12that an armed attack against one member
05:14is considered an attack against all members.
05:16The problem is
05:16that many of the attacks
05:17taking place right now
05:18are occurring just below the threshold
05:19that would clearly trigger this standard.
05:21Sabotage,
05:22arson,
05:22intelligence disruption,
05:23and drone intrusions cause damage,
05:25but they repeatedly use methods
05:26that are difficult to define
05:27as full-scale armed attacks between nations.
05:29Russia is utilizing such tactics
05:31precisely for this reason.
05:32According to analyses,
05:33even if Europe suspects Russian involvement,
05:35it remains difficult to decide
05:36on a military response
05:37for each individual incident.
05:38In particular,
05:39unless it is proven
05:39that the individuals acting directly on the ground
05:41belong to Russian intelligence agencies,
05:43investigative authorities
05:44often have no choice
05:45but to handle them
05:45as individual criminal cases.
05:47In fact,
05:47looking at the recent cases
05:48of Russian link sabotage
05:49identified in Europe,
05:50intelligence agencies
05:51rather than operating directly on the ground,
05:52recruit ordinary citizens
05:53through the internet
05:54or messaging apps,
05:55assigning them only specific missions.
05:57European intelligence agencies
05:58describe them as
05:59disposable agents.
06:00Those recruited are given tasks
06:02such as reconnaissance,
06:03arson,
06:03or vandalism.
06:04In some cases,
06:05they act only after receiving
06:06concrete instructions and money,
06:07with cryptocurrency reportedly being used
06:09as a means of payment.
06:10The problem with this method
06:11is that even if the perpetrators are caught,
06:13it is difficult to prove
06:14who was behind it.
06:15In fact,
06:16some of those recruited acts
06:17simply for the money
06:18without even fully realizing
06:19that they are being used
06:20in operations
06:21by Russian intelligence agencies.
06:23It has been revealed
06:24that they often approach
06:25financially struggling
06:26or vulnerable individuals,
06:27which is why analysts say
06:28Russia is exploiting
06:29internal social divisions
06:30within Europe.
06:31In particular,
06:32as conflicts surrounding
06:33immigration issues have grown,
06:34they can approach individuals
06:35by exploiting grievances
06:36against specific groups
06:37or experiences of discrimination.
06:38The EU also regards
06:39the instrumentalization
06:40of migration itself
06:41as a form of hybrid,
06:42threat involving actors
06:43such as Russia.
06:44What is important here
06:45is not just the actual scale
06:46of the damage.
06:46Regardless of whether
06:47an attack actually succeeds
06:49from the moment
06:49a suspicious incident occurs,
06:51European countries
06:52spring into action.
06:53For example,
06:53if a suspicious object
06:54is found on a railway,
06:55train services must be halted,
06:56authorities have to verify
06:57whether the object
06:57is a hazardous material,
06:58and a full inspection
06:59of the surrounding tracks
07:00must be conducted.
07:00In the process,
07:01if trains are delayed
07:02or canceled,
07:02it can impact both
07:03passengers and logistics.
07:04The same goes for cases
07:05where drones are spotted
07:06around military installations
07:07or defense contractors.
07:08The ones who launched the drone.
07:10To determine who launched the drone,
07:11police and military forces
07:12are deployed,
07:13security levels at the facility
07:13are raised,
07:14and checks must be carried out
07:15to see if there have been
07:16any additional intrusions.
07:17Even if no actual attack
07:18takes place,
07:18a significant amount of personnel
07:19and time are poured into it.
07:21More importantly,
07:21this response doesn't just end
07:23after one incident.
07:24If similar events
07:24are repeated across
07:25multiple regions,
07:26governments have no choice
07:27but to step up surveillance
07:28on major facilities,
07:29and deploy additional
07:30security personnel
07:31to key infrastructure
07:31and facilities.
07:32Police or military personnel
07:33who were previously assigned
07:34to other duties
07:35might also be reassigned
07:36to these new surveillance tasks.
07:37Installing additional
07:38drone detection equipment
07:39or surveillance systems
07:40also cost money,
07:41that's because they can't
07:41just manage the facilities
07:42where problems occurred,
07:43they must stay vigilant,
07:44keeping in mind the possibility
07:45of the same thing happening
07:46at other facilities as well.
07:47If this situation keeps repeating,
07:48Europe will not only suffer damage
07:50from actually destroyed facilities,
07:51but the costs of preventing
07:52and investigating these incidents
07:53will also continue to grow.
07:54Especially the more incidents
07:55there are where the perpetrators
07:56aren't clearly identified,
07:58they have to consider
07:58a wider range of possibilities
07:59as they investigate.
08:00If they respond improperly,
08:02they could miss actual threats.
08:03On the other hand,
08:04if they mount a high-level response
08:05to every suspicious case,
08:06a massive amount of personnel
08:07and budget will inevitably
08:08have to be poured in continuously.
08:10So the problem Europe
08:11is currently facing
08:12doesn't lie solely in the fact
08:13that a single facility was attacked.
08:14The fact that with every
08:15repeated incident,
08:16the resources each government
08:17must pour into constant surveillance
08:18and security increase
08:19is also a critically important issue.
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