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Reflecto News | Investigative Report | Geopolitics & Security
BERLIN/BRUSSELS — Russia has escalated a campaign of assassination plots and sabotage operations across Europe since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, targeting activists, defectors, military figures, and even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Western intelligence officials .
Authorities in at least five European countries — France, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, and Spain — have disrupted or investigated alleged Russian-linked operations involving surveillance, bomb plots, shootings, and killings .
🎯 The Targets
The list of intended targets, according to officials and documents reviewed by The Associated Press, is both broad and specific.
Key targets include:
| Target | Affiliation | Nature of Threat |
|---|---|---|
| Volodymyr Zelensky | President of Ukraine | Plot to assassinate; disrupted by Ukrainian and European security services |
| Vladimir Osechkin | Activist (founder of Gulagu.net) | Documented prison abuse; living in exile under threat |
| Ruslan Gabbasov | Bashkortostan independence advocate | Targeted for assassination in Lithuania |
| Igor Chudov | Former Russian intelligence officer (defector) | Killed in Spain (February 2025) |
| Maxim Kuzminov | Russian helicopter pilot (defector) | Killed in Spain (February 2024) |
Other targets included military figures, supporters of Ukraine, and activists critical of the Kremlin. European security officials believe the operations are meant to eliminate opponents abroad and intimidate critics, sending a message that Russia will pursue its enemies anywhere .
🔫 The Methods: ‘Hybrid Warfare’ and Criminal Proxies
The tactics have evolved significantly since the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England. Following that incident, Western nations expelled hundreds of Russian intelligence officers, degrading Moscow’s ability to conduct operations directly .
Key findings from the investigation:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Shift in Tactics | Russia increasingly relies on criminal proxies and recruited locals instead of trained intelligence officers |
| Expulsion Impact | Hundreds of Russian operatives were expelled after the 2018 Skripal poisoning, forcing Moscow to change its methods |
| Operational Security | Using proxies with fewer tradecraft skills makes operations riskier and more likely to be detected |
| Examples | Lithuania, France, Germany have all apprehended or disrupted operatives this year |
For example, in Lithuania, a citizen was arrested for allegedly surveilling Ruslan Gabbasov, a Bashkortostan independence advocate living in exile. Security officials discovered that the individual was not a trained spy but a local recruit .
🕵️ Intelligence Community Assessment
The AP investigation, which draws on interviews with over a dozen current and former Western intelligence, military, and security officials, paints a picture of an emboldened and reckless Kremlin.
“We are seeing a systematic, deliberate campaign. They are willing to take risks that would have been unthinkable a few years ago because the political leadership in Moscow has decided that the ends justify the means.”
— Senior European intelligence official, speaking anonymously to the AP
The campaign is part of a broader “hybrid war” that Russia is waging against the West, encompassing cyberattacks, disinformation, election interference, energy blackmail, and sabotage of infrastructure .
🗣️ Russia Denies Allegations
Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in assassination plots and hybrid warfare activities. Russian officials typically dismiss such allegations as “Russophobic hysteria” or as attempts by Western governments to justify their own hostile policies toward Russia .
When asked about the specific plots, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the AP: “We have no knowledge of these alleged plots. Russia does not engage in state-sponsored murder.”
🔮 What Comes Next
European security services have stepped up protection for high-risk individuals, and NATO has increased intelligence sharing on Russian sabotage operations. However, the sheer number of potential targets and the Kremlin’s willingness to use proxies with limited tradecraft make prevention difficult.
Some European capitals are also debating whether to publicly name individuals suspected of complicity in the plots — a tactic that could deter further recruitment but risks tipping off ongoing investigations.
For now, the quiet war on European streets continues. The only question is when — and where — the next assassination will be attempted .
📋 Key Takeaways for Reflecto News Readers
| Aspect | Summary |
|---|---|
| Scope | Russia has intensified assassination plots across Europe since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine |
| Countries Involved | France, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Spain — multiple plots disrupted |
| High-Profile Targets | President Zelensky (Ukraine), activists Osechkin and Gabbasov, defectors Kuzminov and Chudov |
| Methods | Russia increasingly uses criminal proxies and local recruits, not trained intelligence officers |
| Confirmed Killings | Maxim Kuzminov (February 2024) and Igor Chudov (February 2025) killed in Spain |
| Russian Denial | Kremlin denies all allegations; dismisses them as “Russophobic hysteria” |
| Broader Context | Part of Russia’s hybrid war against the West (cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage) |
| Security Response | European security services have stepped up protection; NATO increased intelligence sharing |
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